sink (n.)

  1. plumbing fixture consisting of a water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe

  2. (technology) a process that acts to absorb or remove energy or a substance from a system; the ocean is a sink for carbon dioxide'

  3. a depression in the ground communicating with a subterranean passage (especially in limestone) and formed by solution or by collapse of a cavern roof

    [ Syn: sinkhole , swallow hole ]

  4. a covered cistern; waste water and sewage flow into it

    [ Syn: cesspool , cesspit , sump ]

    sink (v.)

  1. fall or descend to a lower place or level; He sank to his knees

    [ Syn: drop , drop down ]

  2. cause to sink; The Japanese sank American ships in Pearl Harbor'

  3. pass into a specified state or condition; He sank into nirvana

    [ Syn: pass , lapse ]

  4. go under, The raft sank and its occupants drowned

    [ Syn: settle , go down , go under ]

  5. descend into or as if into some soft substance or place; He sank into bed; She subsided into the chair

    [ Syn: subside ]

  6. appear to move downward; The sun dipped below the horizon; The setting sun sank below the tree line

    [ Syn: dip ]

  7. fall heavily or suddenly; decline markedly; The real estate market fell off

    [ Syn: slump , fall off ]

  8. fall or sink heavily; He slumped onto the couch; My spirits sank

    [ Syn: slump , slide down ]

  9. embed deeply; She sank her fingers into the soft sand; He buried his head in her lap

    [ Syn: bury ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.