{
    "term": "sink",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "b1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "sink",
            "heSheIt": "sinks"
        },
        "pastSimple": "sank",
        "pastParticiple": "sunk",
        "ingForm": "sinking"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to go down below the surface or towards the bottom of a liquid or soft substance",
            "sensetop": "sink into something",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The ship sank to the bottom of the sea."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The submarine sank after an explosion."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We're sinking!"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The wheels started to sink into the mud.",
                    "contextForm": "sink into something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The little boat sank beneath the waves."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It seemed as though the ship had sunk without trace."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Duane was in waist-deep and sinking fast."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He sank up to his knees in the mud."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Our feet sank deep into the soft sand as we walked."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["slowly", "fast", "down"],
                "verb + sink": ["begin to", "start to"],
                "preposition": ["below", "beneath", "into"],
                "phrases": [
                    "sink like a stone",
                    "sink or swim",
                    "sink to the bottom (of something)"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to damage a boat or ship so that it goes below the surface of the sea, etc.",
            "sensetop": "sink something",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The battleship was sunk by a torpedo."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Bombs sank all four carriers."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Five brothers all died when their ship was sunk."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["War and conflict"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to move downwards, especially by falling or sitting down",
            "sensetop": "+ adv./prep.",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I sank into an armchair."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She **sank back** into her seat, exhausted."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The old man had **sunk to his knees**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He sank lower into his chair."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I sank gratefully into the warm, dry bed."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She sank to the ground, exhausted."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "collapse",
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["wearily", "gratefully", "gracefully"],
                "preposition": ["into", "onto"],
                "phrases": [
                    "sink below the horizon",
                    "sink to the floor",
                    "sink to the ground"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "to move slowly downwards",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The sun was sinking in the west."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The sun had sunk below the horizon."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The foundations of the building are starting to sink."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["wearily", "gratefully", "gracefully"],
                "preposition": ["into", "onto"],
                "phrases": [
                    "sink below the horizon",
                    "sink to the floor",
                    "sink to the ground"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "to decrease in amount, volume, strength, etc.",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The pound has sunk to its lowest recorded level against the dollar."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He is clearly sinking fast *(= getting weaker quickly and will soon die)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The project gradually sank into oblivion."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The airline industry is sinking under the weight of its losses."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Change, cause and effect"],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["quickly", "rapidly", "gradually"],
                "preposition": ["into"],
                "phrases": ["sink to a new low", "sink to new lows"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 6,
            "definition": "to become quieter",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Her voice sank to a whisper."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "fade"
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 7,
            "definition": "to make a deep hole in the ground",
            "sensetop": "sink something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "to **sink a well/shaft/mine**"
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "drill"
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 8,
            "definition": "to place something in the ground by digging",
            "sensetop": "sink something (+ adv./prep.)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "to sink a post into the ground"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 9,
            "definition": "to prevent somebody or somebody’s plans from succeeding",
            "sensetop": "sink something/somebody",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I think I've just sunk my chances of getting the job."
                },
                {
                    "text": "If the car breaks down, we'll **be sunk** *(= have serious problems)*."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Difficulty and failure"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 10,
            "definition": "to hit a ball into a hole in golf or snooker",
            "sensetop": "sink something",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He sank a 12-foot putt to win the match."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Sports: other sports"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 11,
            "definition": "to drink something quickly, especially a large amount of alcohol",
            "sensetop": "sink something",
            "labels": "(British English, informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "They sank three pints each in 10 minutes."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to be in a state of unhappiness or deep thought",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She just sat there, sunk in thought."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to talk about people who leave an organization, a company, etc. that is having difficulties, without caring about the people who are left",
            "labels": "(humorous, disapproving)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to say that somebody suddenly feels sad or depressed about something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "My heart sank when I saw how much work there was left."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She watched him go **with a sinking heart**."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to agree to forget about your disagreements",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "We need to sink our differences and present a united opposition to the plan."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Discussion and agreement"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "an unpleasant feeling that you get when you realize that something bad has happened or is going to happen",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I had a horrible sinking feeling when I saw the ambulance outside the house."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to be in a situation where you will either succeed by your own efforts or fail completely",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The new students were just left to sink or swim."
                },
                {
                    "text": "In a situation like this, you either sink or swim."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Success", "Difficulty and failure"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to have such low moral standards that you do something very bad",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Stealing from your friends? How could you sink so low?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I can't believe that anyone would sink to such depths."
                },
                {
                    "text": "With this article the newspaper has sunk to a new low."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to behave in a worse way than ever before",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The government has stooped to an all-time low with this policy."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Reality TV has sunk to new lows."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/sɪŋk/",
                "audio": "si/sink/sink__gb_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/sɪŋks/",
                "audio": "si/sink/sinks__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/sæŋk/",
                "audio": "sa/sink/sank__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/sʌŋk/",
                "audio": "su/sink/sunk__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/",
                "audio": "si/sink/sinking__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/sɪŋk/",
                "audio": "si/sink/sink__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/sɪŋks/",
                "audio": "si/sink/sinks__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/sæŋk/",
                "audio": "sa/sink/sank__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/sʌŋk/",
                "audio": "su/sink/sunk__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/",
                "audio": "si/sink/sinking__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "verb Old English sincan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zinken and German sinken."
}