sink

Sink is defined as to go down slowly, or to drop beneath the surface or normal level.

(verb)

The definition of a sink is a basin for water.

(noun)

An example of a sink is where many people wash dishes.

See sink in Webster's New World College Dictionary

intransitive verb sank or sunk, sunk, sinking

to go beneath the surface of water, deep snow, soft ground, etc. so as to be partly or completely covered
to go down slowly; fall or descend gradually
to appear to fall or descend: the sun sinking in the west
1. to become lower in level; diminish in height or depth: a lake that has sunk three inches
2. to slope downward (from, to, etc.)
to diminish or decrease in degree, volume, or strength; subside, as wind, flames, a sound, spirits, etc.
to become lower in value or amount; lessen, as prices, funds, etc.
to seem or become hollow or shrunken; recede, as the cheeks or eyes
to pass gradually (into sleep, despair, lethargy, etc.)
to become increasingly and dangerously ill; approach death; fail
1. to lose position, wealth, prestige, dignity, etc.
2. to lose or abandon one's moral values and stoop (to some unworthy action)
to become absorbed; penetrate

Origin: ME sinken < OE sincan, akin to Ger sinken < IE base *sengw-, to fall, sink > Gr heaphthē, (he) sank

transitive verb

to cause to submerge or go beneath the surface: to sink a boat, to sink a spade into the ground
to cause or allow to fall or go down; lower
to make (a well, mine, engraved design, etc.) by digging, drilling, or cutting
to cause to penetrate or become absorbed
to reduce in volume, amount, degree, or intensity
1. to invest (money, capital, etc.)
2. to lose by investing
to hold back, suppress, or conceal (evidence, identity, personal interests, etc.)
to pay up (a debt)
1. to cause to lose courage, strength, etc. or position, dignity, etc.
2. to debase (character, dignity, etc.)
to defeat; undo; ruin
☆ Sports to put (a basketball, golf ball, etc.) through the net, into the cup, etc. so as to score

noun

a cesspool or sewer
any place or thing considered morally filthy or corrupted
any of various basins, as in a kitchen or laundry, connected with a drainpipe and, usually, a water supply
a repository or device for collecting, removing, or absorbing energy, heat, a specific substance, etc. from a system and then disposing of or dissipating it
☆ Geol.
1. an area of slightly sunken land, esp. one in which water collects, often forming a salt lake, or disappears by evaporation or percolation into the ground
2. sinkhole (sense )

Origin: ME sinke < the v.

Related Forms:

See sink in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb sank sank (săngk) or sunk (sŭngk), sunk sunk, sink·ing, sinks

verb, intransitive

To descend to the bottom; submerge.
a. To fall or drop to a lower level, especially to go down slowly or in stages: The water in the lake sank several feet during the long, dry summer.
b. To subside or settle gradually, as a massive or weighty structure.
To appear to move downward, as the sun or moon in setting.
To slope downward; incline.
To pass into a specified condition: She sank into a deep sleep.
a. To deteriorate in quality or condition: The patient is sinking fast. The family sank into a state of disgrace.
b. To diminish, as in value.
To become weaker, quieter, or less forceful: His voice sank to a whisper.
a. To drop or fall slowly, as from weakness or fatigue: The exhausted runner sank to the ground.
b. To feel great disappointment or discouragement: Her heart sank within her.
To seep or soak; penetrate: The water is sinking into the ground.
To make an impression; become felt or understood: The meaning finally sank in.

verb, transitive

To cause to descend beneath a surface: sink a ship.
To cause to drop or lower: sank the bucket into the well.
To force into the ground: sink a piling.
To dig or drill (a mine or well) in the earth.
To occupy the full attention of; engross.
a. To make weaker, quieter, or less forceful.
b. To reduce in quantity or worth.
To debase the nature of; degrade.
To bring to a low or ruined state; defeat or destroy.
To suppress or hide: He sank his arrogance and apologized.
Informal To defeat, as in a game.
a. To invest: sink money into a new housing project.
b. To invest without any prospect of return.
To pay off (a debt).
Sports To get (a ball) into a hole or basket.

noun

A water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe and generally a piped supply of water.
A cesspool.
A sinkhole.
A natural or artificial means of absorbing or removing a substance or a form of energy from a system.
A place regarded as wicked and corrupt.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English sinken

Origin: , from Old English sincan

Related Forms: