📒 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!
📒 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.
📒 to move downwards, especially by falling or sitting down
- I sank into an armchair.
- She sank back into her seat, exhausted.
- The old man had sunk to his knees.
📒 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.
📒 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).
- The project gradually sank into oblivion.
📒 to become quieter
- Her voice sank to a whisper.
📒 to make a deep hole in the ground
- to sink a well/shaft/mine
📒 to place something in the ground by digging
- to sink a post into the ground
📒 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).
📒 to hit a ball into a hole in golf or snooker
- He sank a 12-foot putt to win the match.
📒 to drink something quickly, especially a large amount of alcohol
- They sank three pints each in 10 minutes.
📒 to be in a state of unhappiness or deep thought
- She just sat there, sunk in thought.
📒 used to talk about people who leave an organization, a company, etc. that is having difficulties, without caring about the people who are left
📒 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.
📒 to agree to forget about your disagreements
- We need to sink our differences and present a united opposition to the plan.
📒 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.
📒 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.
📒 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.
📒 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.