sinker

A "sinker" is most commonly a weight used in fishing to pull bait or a line down in the water. In baseball, a "sinker" is a kind of pitch that drops as it gets close to the batter. In some older or regional uses, "sinkers" can also mean heavy dumplings, and sometimes doughnuts.

For example, an angler might add a sinker so the hook reaches deeper water. Or, in a game, a pitcher might rely on his sinker to get a ground ball. The word usually suggests something that goes downward because of weight or motion.

The word "sinker" is built around the idea of something going down. In its most common meaning, it is a small weight, often made of lead or another heavy material, used in fishing to pull a hook, bait, line, or net deeper into the water. A person fishing may choose a heavier or lighter sinker depending on the depth and the current.

The word is also well known in baseball. A sinker is a pitch, close to a fastball, that moves downward as it reaches the batter. Because of that drop, it often leads to weak contact or ground balls. You may also see the form "sinkerball" for the same basic idea.

There are also food-related uses. In older slang or regional English, "sinkers" can mean heavy dumplings that sink in stew or broth. The word has also been used for doughnuts. These uses are much less common today than the fishing and baseball meanings.

Sometimes people may use the word in a loose, figurative way for something that pulls a plan or mood down, but that is not the main standard meaning. In most everyday contexts, if you see "sinker," it is probably talking about fishing gear or a baseball pitch.