sink1
¦ verb (past sank; past participle sunk)
1. go down below the surface of liquid; become submerged.
(with reference to a ship) go or cause to go to the bottom of the sea.
2. fail and not be seen or heard of again.
cause to fail.
conceal or ignore: they agreed to sink their differences.
3. drop downwards.
lower oneself or drop down gently.
gradually decrease or decline in amount or intensity.
lapse or fall into a particular state or condition.
4. (sink in) (of words or facts) become fully understood.
5. pocket (a ball) in snooker or billiards.
Golf hit the ball into the hole with (a putt or other shot).
6. insert beneath a surface.
(sink something into) cause something sharp to penetrate (a surface).
excavate (a well) or bore (a shaft) vertically downwards.
7. (sink something in/into) put money or energy into.
8. Brit. informal rapidly consume (an alcoholic drink).
Phrases
a (or that) sinking feeling an unpleasant bodily sensation caused by apprehension or dismay.
sink or swim fail or succeed by one's own efforts.
Derivatives
sinkable adjective
sinkage noun
Origin
OE sincan, of Gmc origin.
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sink2
¦ noun
1. a fixed basin with a water supply and outflow pipe.
2. a pool or marsh in which a river's water disappears by evaporation or percolation.
technical a body or process which absorbs or removes energy or a particular component from a system. The opposite of
source.
4. [as modifier] Brit. denoting a school or housing estate situated in a socially deprived area.
Origin