# sink

/ˈsɪŋk/ (US) · /sˈɪŋk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/sink
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. washing basin

noun · CEFR A1

a large bowl with a tap and a drain, usually in a kitchen, used for washing dishes or hands.

For teachers: a fixed basin with a water supply and drainage system, primarily used for culinary or hygienic cleansing.

- Please put your dirty plates in the kitchen sink after you finish eating.
- The industrial kitchen was equipped with a deep stainless-steel sink designed to accommodate large catering pots and pans.

### 2. resource absorber

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical · Academic

a place or thing that collects or absorbs energy, money, or resources.

For teachers: a technical or figurative destination that absorbs and dissipates energy, matter, or financial resources from a system.

- Forests act as a carbon sink by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air.
- Economists identified the failing infrastructure project as a massive capital sink that offered no realistic prospect of a return on investment.

### 3. computing/networks

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a point in a computer network or graph where data or signals are received.

For teachers: a node in a directed graph or a destination vertex in a network that receives incoming edges but has no outgoing ones.

- In this data flow diagram, the database acts as the final sink for all user information.
- The software architect designed the event sink to handle asynchronous callbacks from multiple external APIs simultaneously.

### 4. to go down in water

verb · CEFR A2

to go down below the surface of water or another liquid.

For teachers: to descend or cause to descend below the surface of a liquid or soft substance.

- The heavy stone sank to the bottom of the lake immediately.
- The damaged vessel began to sink rapidly after the hull was breached by the jagged rocks near the shoreline.

### 5. to fall or drop

verb · CEFR B1

to move slowly downwards, or to sit down because you are tired.

For teachers: to descend gradually to a lower level; often used for physical posture or environmental conditions.

- He was so exhausted that he sank into the nearest armchair.
- As the sun began to sink below the horizon, the temperature in the valley dropped significantly.

### 6. to decrease or fail

verb · CEFR B2

to become less in amount, value, or strength.

For teachers: to decline in magnitude, value, or intensity; to fail in physical or emotional strength.

- Her heart sank when she realised she had failed the exam.
- Consumer confidence continued to sink throughout the quarter as inflation reached its highest level in a decade.

### 7. to invest or spend

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

to spend a lot of money on something, usually a business or project.

For teachers: to invest money or resources into a venture, often with the implication that they cannot be recovered.

- They sank all their savings into opening a small restaurant.
- The venture capitalists were hesitant to sink more funds into the startup without a clearer path to profitability.

### 8. to drink quickly

verb · CEFR C2 · Slang · British English

to drink a large amount of alcohol quickly.

For teachers: to consume an alcoholic beverage rapidly or in large quantities.

- They went to the pub and sank a few pints before the game started.
- After a long shift at the factory, the workers gathered at the local bar to sink several rounds of ale.

## Examples

- Please put your dirty dishes in the kitchen sink.
- The plumber arrived to fix a leak under the bathroom sink before the water damaged the floor.
- Modern kitchen designs often feature a deep farmhouse sink made of porcelain or stainless steel to accommodate large pots and pans during cleaning.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.