sunken

Verb

sink (third-person singular simple present sinks, present participle sinking, simple past sank or (dialectal) sunk, past participle sunk or (archaic) sunken)

1. (ergative, physical) To descend or submerge (or to cause to do so) into a liquid or similar substance.
   • A stone sinks in water. The sun gradually sank in the west.

   Synonyms:

   bury, descend, founder, go down, dip, dunk, submerge

2. (physical, transitive) To (directly or indirectly) cause a vessel to sink, generally by making it no longer watertight.
   • An iceberg sank the Titanic. British battleships sank the Bismarck.
3. (physical, transitive) To push (something) into something.
   • Before installing the new surfacing material, sink any protruding nails.1980, Robert M. Jones, editor, Walls and Ceilings, Time-Life Books, →ISBN, page 11
4. (physical, transitive) To make by digging or delving.
   • to sink a well in the ground
5. (physical, transitive) To pot; hit a ball into a pocket or hole.
   • My sister beats me at pool in public a second time. I claim some dignity back by potting two of my balls before Tammy sinks the black.2008, Edward Keating, The Joy of Ex: A Novel
6. (figuratively, intransitive, social) To experience apprehension, disappointment, dread, or momentary depression.
   • But open converse is there none,
     ⁠So much the vital spirits sink
     ⁠To see the vacant chair, and think,
     ‘How good! how kind! and he is gone.’1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XX”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 34

See all 34 meanings of sink