sink

You will often meet "sink" in two main ways. First, it can be a noun: the basin in a kitchen or bathroom where you wash your hands, dishes, or food. Second, it can be a verb. A ship can sink below the water, a person can sink into a soft chair, and bad news can make your heart sink. It can also mean that an idea is slowly being understood, as when a lesson finally sinks in. In a wider sense, it may describe something falling, failing, or moving downward.

The word "sink" is very flexible in everyday English. As a noun, it usually means the fixed basin in a kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room that is used for washing. You might rinse vegetables in the sink, leave cups in the sink, or wash your hands at the sink. This is one of the most common everyday uses of the word.

As a verb, "sink" often means to go down below the surface of water or another soft substance. A boat may sink in a storm, a stone sinks in a pond, and your feet can sink into wet sand or mud. It can also describe the body moving downward into something soft, such as when you sink into a sofa after a long day.

The word also has several figurative uses. An idea can "sink in" when you finally understand it. Your heart can sink when you hear something disappointing. Prices, hopes, or chances can sink when they fall to a lower level. A business or plan can sink if it fails badly. In some contexts, "sink" also means to put something firmly into a surface or target, such as sinking a post into the ground or sinking a shot in a game.

Taken together, "sink" usually suggests a movement downward, inward, or into a deeper state. Sometimes that meaning is literal, and sometimes it is emotional or figurative. Because it is used for both an everyday household object and many kinds of movement or decline, it is a useful and common English word.