1
as in deteriorates
to become worse or of less value his fortunes have steadily sunk since the breakup of his business
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2
as in plunges
to go to a lower level especially abruptly I had just bought a bundle of shares of the stock when its price sank like a rock
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3
as in stifles
to refrain from openly showing or uttering sinks his pride and makes the first step towards a reconciliation
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4
as in disappears
to cease to be visible that evening we sat on the beach, dreamily watching the sun sink beneath the horizon
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5
as in reduces
to diminish the price or value of the slightest nick will sink the price of a piece of Tiffany glass
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6
as in humiliates
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes the revelation that he has been embezzling for years definitely sinks him in my opinion
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7
as in falls
to lead or extend downward the road sinks abruptly after that curve
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8
as in fades
to lose bodily strength or vigor the old woman only sunk further after she was moved to the nursing home
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as in dumps
a place of great vice and corruption was able to rise above the sink that was his birthplace
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sinks
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026 Unlike a hard plastic jerkbait, which immediately rises when not in motion, a soft plastic jerkbait hovers or, if on a weighted hook, slowly sinks. —Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 29 Mar. 2026 Playback time sinks a lot with ANC enabled, hitting just 8 hours, or 36 including the case. —Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2026 Battered by bombs and torpedoes, the USS California slowly sinks into Pearl Harbor. —Stephen Smith, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026 Astin sinks into his pathetic character with full commitment, but the running gag about Ron getting more upset about the possibility of being banned from the fast-food restaurant than anything else is hammered so relentlessly that the character just seems mentally challenged. —Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 14 Mar. 2026 When the sun sinks below the horizon, nothing beats the retro pleasure of a movie under the twinkling stars. —Zoey Goto, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026 Now Duke and its coach must hope that Saturday’s injury woes are just a bump in the road of a potentially special season — and not something that sinks the Blue Devils’ chances of making history. —Brendan Marks, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026 When the eclipsed moon sinks lower in the western sky, the sun will begin to brighten the eastern sky. —Dean Regas, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2026
Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026 These function as powerful natural sinks to absorb carbon dioxide and help regulate the climate. —ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026 Marble bathroom sinks are based on the balconies of a nearby art deco building, while even the distinctive bedposts are modelled on the chunky bangles worn by local writer and activist Nancy Cunard, heiress to the shipping empire. —Siobhan Grogan, TheWeek, 7 Apr. 2026 Stone elements are rarely seen in small spaces, but the bathroom sinks are made of a translucent variety. —Annabelle Dufraigne, Architectural Digest, 7 Apr. 2026 With plush beds, a dome ceiling skylight, granite sinks, and gas fireplaces to warm up when the winds begin to blow in off the Central Coast, the yurts are well-equipped to see guests through everything from the sunniest days to the chilliest nights. —Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026 Photos from inside show rust, water damage and deteriorating sinks and toilets. —Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026 When a mysterious aircraft sinks into the ocean, Ally’s peaceful world is thrown into danger. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026 But when a mysterious aircraft sinks into the ocean, her peaceful world is suddenly thrown into danger. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
The seafaring masterpiece sinks every other shark movie in its utter perfection. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026 Unlike a hard plastic jerkbait, which immediately rises when not in motion, a soft plastic jerkbait hovers or, if on a weighted hook, slowly sinks. —Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 29 Mar. 2026 Playback time sinks a lot with ANC enabled, hitting just 8 hours, or 36 including the case. —Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2026 Battered by bombs and torpedoes, the USS California slowly sinks into Pearl Harbor. —Stephen Smith, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026 Astin sinks into his pathetic character with full commitment, but the running gag about Ron getting more upset about the possibility of being banned from the fast-food restaurant than anything else is hammered so relentlessly that the character just seems mentally challenged. —Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 14 Mar. 2026 When the sun sinks below the horizon, nothing beats the retro pleasure of a movie under the twinkling stars. —Zoey Goto, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026 Now Duke and its coach must hope that Saturday’s injury woes are just a bump in the road of a potentially special season — and not something that sinks the Blue Devils’ chances of making history. —Brendan Marks, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026 When the eclipsed moon sinks lower in the western sky, the sun will begin to brighten the eastern sky. —Dean Regas, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
Old Herald clippings from 1986 reported about homeowners toilets and sinks smelling like gas, a 3-year-old getting rashes and fevers from drinking the well water and fear of driers exploding. —Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026 These function as powerful natural sinks to absorb carbon dioxide and help regulate the climate. —ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026 Marble bathroom sinks are based on the balconies of a nearby art deco building, while even the distinctive bedposts are modelled on the chunky bangles worn by local writer and activist Nancy Cunard, heiress to the shipping empire. —Siobhan Grogan, TheWeek, 7 Apr. 2026 Stone elements are rarely seen in small spaces, but the bathroom sinks are made of a translucent variety. —Annabelle Dufraigne, Architectural Digest, 7 Apr. 2026 With plush beds, a dome ceiling skylight, granite sinks, and gas fireplaces to warm up when the winds begin to blow in off the Central Coast, the yurts are well-equipped to see guests through everything from the sunniest days to the chilliest nights. —Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026 Photos from inside show rust, water damage and deteriorating sinks and toilets. —Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026 When a mysterious aircraft sinks into the ocean, Ally’s peaceful world is thrown into danger. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026 But when a mysterious aircraft sinks into the ocean, her peaceful world is suddenly thrown into danger. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sinks
Verb
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Her condition rapidly deteriorates to the point where Abbott and Robby are forced to do a C-Section in the ER, with seconds to spare to save her life and the life of the baby.— Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
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Originally staged at Avignon in 2025, the play follows a father and daughter whose bond is tested across the vastness of space as one of them starts a new life on Mars while Earth deteriorates.— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ernaux’s signature method of resisting interpretation and incarnating the past plunges us into this girl’s experience.— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
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Architectonics takes this murky style and plunges it to a new deep, incorporating the bronze gong and chime sounds of gamelan while burying his rhythms in dense, dubby layers of incense smoke.— Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Overregulation stifles business, regardless of industry.— John Cleveland, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
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Critics say that trademarking the name of a common business model stifles the still-nascent heirloom and specialty beans market — a growing community of companies, farmers and influencers trying to increase consumption of beans, one of the most climate- and health-friendly foods around.— Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The pic, which cost $22M net with 30% Irish tax credits, follows the young daughter of a journalist who disappears into the desert without a trace.— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2026
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But when Al-Hashimi disappears to consult with the neurologist on call, why not show us any of that interaction?— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Animal advocates have long pushed the city to legalize TNR, saying the practice reduces unwarranted litters, euthanasia and shelter intake while improving the health of feral cats.— Claire Wang, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
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There’s also a sliding divider that provides a privacy barrier from the aisle and, according to the manufacturer, reduces noise from the galley and bathroom.— Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And the President doesn’t seem to mind if Vance humiliates himself running errands.— Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
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Later that season, Eric humiliates Bill in front of their Pierpoint colleagues by insulting his work quality and Bill dies from brain cancer.— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Grapevine surges from behind, falls short Lake Creek provided most of the pressure early in the match, keeping the ball in Grapevine’s end and getting off six shots before the Mustangs started pressing in the 26th minute.— Charles Baggarly & Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2026
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The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, once an aristocratic mansion, falls somewhere between the avant-garde works at the Reina Sofia and the traditional Spanish art at the Prado.— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The kind that organizations get judged on long after the applause fades.— Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
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Smith Collection | Archive Photos | Getty Images Retail traders stampeded into Allbirds after the troubled shoemaker slapped an artificial intelligence label on its business, a set-up that market history suggests rarely ends well once the initial hype fades.— Yun Li, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sinks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/sinks. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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