sink
verb /sɪŋk/
/sɪŋk/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they sink | /sɪŋk/ /sɪŋk/ |
| he / she / it sinks | /sɪŋks/ /sɪŋks/ |
| past simple sank | /sæŋk/ /sæŋk/ |
| past participle sunk | /sʌŋk/ /sʌŋk/ |
| -ing form sinking | /ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/ /ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] to go down below the surface or towards the bottom of a liquid or soft substance
- The ship sank to the bottom of the sea.
- The submarine sank after an explosion.
- We're sinking!
- sink into something The wheels started to sink into the mud.
- The little boat sank beneath the waves.
Extra Examples- It seemed as though the ship had sunk without trace.
- Duane was in waist-deep and sinking fast.
- He sank up to his knees in the mud.
- Our feet sank deep into the soft sand as we walked.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- slowly
- fast
- down
- …
- begin to
- start to
- below
- beneath
- into
- …
- sink like a stone
- sink or swim
- sink to the bottom (of something)
- …
- [transitive] sink something to damage a boat or ship so that it goes below the surface of the sea, etc.
- The battleship was sunk by a torpedo.
- Bombs sank all four carriers.
- Five brothers all died when their ship was sunk.
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. (of a person) to move downwards, especially by falling or sitting down synonym collapse
- I sank into an armchair.
- She sank back into her seat, exhausted.
- The old man had sunk to his knees.
Extra Examples- He sank lower into his chair.
- I sank gratefully into the warm, dry bed.
- She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet.
- She sank to the ground, exhausted.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- wearily
- gratefully
- gracefully
- …
- into
- onto
- sink below the horizon
- sink to the floor
- sink to the ground
- …
- [intransitive] (of an object) to move slowly downwards
- The sun was sinking in the west.
- The sun had sunk below the horizon.
- The foundations of the building are starting to sink.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- wearily
- gratefully
- gracefully
- …
- into
- onto
- sink below the horizon
- sink to the floor
- sink to the ground
- …
- [intransitive] to decrease in amount, volume, strength, etc.
- The pound has sunk to its lowest recorded level against the dollar.
- He is clearly sinking fast (= getting weaker quickly and will soon die).
Extra ExamplesTopics Change, cause and effectc1- The project gradually sank into oblivion.
- The airline industry is sinking under the weight of its losses.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- quickly
- rapidly
- gradually
- …
- into
- sink to a new low
- sink to new lows
- [intransitive] to become quieter synonym fade
- Her voice sank to a whisper.
- [transitive] sink something to make a deep hole in the ground synonym drill
- to sink a well/shaft/mine
- [transitive] sink something (+ adv./prep.) to place something in the ground by digging
- to sink a post into the ground
- [transitive] sink something/somebody (informal) to prevent somebody or somebody’s plans from succeeding
- I think I've just sunk my chances of getting the job.
- If the car breaks down, we'll be sunk (= have serious problems).
- [transitive] sink something to hit a ball into a hole in golf or snooker
- He sank a 12-foot putt to win the match.
- [transitive] sink something (British English, informal) to drink something quickly, especially a large amount of alcohol
- They sank three pints each in 10 minutes.
in water/mud, etc.
boat
fall/sit down
move downwards
become weaker
of voice
dig in ground
prevent success
ball
alcohol
Word Originverb Old English sincan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zinken and German sinken.
Idioms
be sunk in something
- to be in a state of unhappiness or deep thought
- She just sat there, sunk in thought.
(like rats) deserting/leaving a sinking ship
- (humorous, disapproving) used to talk about people who leave an organization, a company, etc. that is having difficulties, without caring about the people who are left
somebody’s heart sinks
- used to say that somebody suddenly feels sad or depressed about something
- My heart sank when I saw how much work there was left.
- She watched him go with a sinking heart.
sink your differences
- to agree to forget about your disagreements
- We need to sink our differences and present a united opposition to the plan.
a/that sinking feeling
- (informal) an unpleasant feeling that you get when you realize that something bad has happened or is going to happen
- I had a horrible sinking feeling when I saw the ambulance outside the house.
sink or swim
- to be in a situation where you will either succeed by your own efforts or fail completely
- The new students were just left to sink or swim.
- In a situation like this, you either sink or swim.
sink so low | sink to something
- to have such low moral standards that you do something very bad
- Stealing from your friends? How could you sink so low?
- I can't believe that anyone would sink to such depths.
- With this article the newspaper has sunk to a new low.
sink/stoop to a new/an all-time low
- to behave in a worse way than ever before
- The government has stooped to an all-time low with this policy.
- Reality TV has sunk to new lows.
