sink or swim
phrase
—used to refer to a situation in which someone either must succeed by his or her own efforts or fail completely
They left me to sink or swim on my own.
In this job, it's sink or swim.
Cite this Entry
“Sink or swim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sink%20or%20swim. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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