Meaning of sink In English

• 0 to (cause something or someone to) go down below the surface or to the bottom of a liquid or soft substance:

  • The Titanic was a passenger ship which sank (to the bottom of the ocean) in 1912.

  • The legs of the garden chair sank into the soft ground.

  • Enemy aircraft sank two battleships.

  • The dog sank her teeth into (= bit) the ball and ran off with it.

• 1 to (cause something or someone to) fall or move to a lower level:

  • The sun glowed red as it sank slowly below the horizon.

  • Student numbers have sunk considerably this year.

  • UK informal We sank (= drank) a bottle of wine each last night.

  • The wounded soldier sank (= fell) to the ground.

  • She sank back in her chair and closed her eyes.

  • He sank into deep despair (= became very unhappy) when he lost his job.

• 2 to dig a hole in the ground, or to put something into a hole dug into the ground:

  • Sinking more wells is the best way of supplying the population with clean drinking water.

  • The first stage of building the fence is sinking the posts into the ground.

• 3 to cause something to fail or be in trouble:

  • This rain could sink our plans for the barbecue.

• 4 a bowl that is attached to the wall in a kitchen or bathroom in which you wash dishes or your hands, etc.:

  • a bathroom/kitchen sink

• 5 to move below the surface of water:

  • [ I ] The boat filled with water and began to sink.

  • [ T ] It isn’t clear exactly what sank the ship.

• 6 to fall or move to a lower level:

  • [ I ] The sun sank slowly below the horizon.

  • [ I ] Exhausted after the race, she sank to the ground.

  • [ I ] My feet sink into the sand with every step.

  • [ I ] Gasoline prices sank last year.

  • [ I ] Relations between the countries have sunk to a new low.

  • I sank my teeth into the sandwich.

• 7 to cause something to fail:

  • A price war sank the company.

  • I thought these issues would sink his career.

• 8 a container for water in a kitchen or bathroom used for washing and connected to pipes that bring and carry off water

• 9 if prices, profits, shares, etc. sink, they fall to a lower level:

  • Bond prices sank and stocks rose today.

  • sink to sth The dollar sank to a record low against the euro.

  • Shares sank 3% Wednesday to close at $39.35.

• 10 to go under, or cause something to go under, the surface of the water:

  • The tanker sank off the coast of Alaska.

  • The explosion sank the ship in 300 feet of water.