as in fading
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1
1
as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value
his fortunes have steadily sunk since the breakup of his business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in plunging
to go to a lower level especially abruptly
I had just bought a bundle of shares of the stock when its price sank like a rock
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3
as in stifling
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
sinks his pride and makes the first step towards a reconciliation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in vanishing
to cease to be visible
that evening we sat on the beach, dreamily watching the sun sink beneath the horizon
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5
as in reducing
to diminish the price or value of
the slightest nick will sink the price of a piece of Tiffany glass
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6
as in humiliating
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
the revelation that he has been embezzling for years definitely sinks him in my opinion
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7
as in falling
to lead or extend downward
the road sinks abruptly after that curve
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in weakening
to lose bodily strength or vigor
the old woman only sunk further after she was moved to the nursing home
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sinking
CBS News, 31 May 2026
Lower flows mean less sediment flushing downstream, accelerating the sinking of the Louisiana delta.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 31 May 2026
Last month, on the 114th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking, the museum’s Titanic exhibit flooded after heavy storms that week.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026
With a top altitude of 1,100 feet, this position at the highest point in the AVA offers warmer nighttime temperatures than the valley floor thanks to the warm air rising and cool air sinking, while daytime temperatures are lower than in areas closer to sea level.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 17 May 2026
After the sinking, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported the Ursa Major was carrying port cranes and hatches designed to cover the nuclear reactors of a new icebreaker being built in Vladivostok.
—Pau Mosquera, CNN Money, 12 May 2026
In 2009, Millvina Dean, the last survivor of the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, died in Hampshire, England at 97.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
This means buildings here are more prone to subsidence, or sinking, and differential foundation settlement, when different parts of the building’s foundation sink at different rates, both of which can cause major structural issues.
—Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
The sinking has damaged part of the Friant-Kern Canal, a major water conduit for farms, reducing its carrying capacity and requiring $326 million in repairs.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 June 2026
The Cubs players continued to taunt Ruth at every opportunity, and a big one came their way in the bottom of the fourth inning when Jurges slashed a sinking liner into right field and the lumbering, top-heavy Babe muffed a shoestring catch.
—Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
Grab these ballet-core heels, which feature a block heel to keep your shoes from sinking into grass during outdoor ceremonies and receptions.
—Annie Blackman, InStyle, 6 June 2026
Willi Castro had a two-out double, but Frelick made a diving catch in right on a sinking liner by Ezequiel Tovar to save a run and end the inning.
—ABC News, 6 June 2026
Body camera video has been released showing the dramatic rescue of a woman from a sinking car in a Pompano Beach canal in May.
—CBS News, 6 June 2026
Plus, Supertramp already has the US$495K Megatron for those buyers who want to go straight to a turnkey top-of-line rig without sinking time into picking and choosing their own add-ons.
—New Atlas, 4 June 2026
The Club stock is sinking 15% this morning.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 June 2026
The economy is sinking from the war.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 4 June 2026
Noun
So, when planning began for the Lincoln Memorial in the early 1910s, builders faced a real sinking problem.
—CBS News, 31 May 2026
Lower flows mean less sediment flushing downstream, accelerating the sinking of the Louisiana delta.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 31 May 2026
Last month, on the 114th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking, the museum’s Titanic exhibit flooded after heavy storms that week.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026
With a top altitude of 1,100 feet, this position at the highest point in the AVA offers warmer nighttime temperatures than the valley floor thanks to the warm air rising and cool air sinking, while daytime temperatures are lower than in areas closer to sea level.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 17 May 2026
After the sinking, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported the Ursa Major was carrying port cranes and hatches designed to cover the nuclear reactors of a new icebreaker being built in Vladivostok.
—Pau Mosquera, CNN Money, 12 May 2026
In 2009, Millvina Dean, the last survivor of the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, died in Hampshire, England at 97.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
This means buildings here are more prone to subsidence, or sinking, and differential foundation settlement, when different parts of the building’s foundation sink at different rates, both of which can cause major structural issues.
—Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
The sinking has damaged part of the Friant-Kern Canal, a major water conduit for farms, reducing its carrying capacity and requiring $326 million in repairs.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Verb
The treatment rooms are spacious, and lying on the massage table felt like sinking into a cloud.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 June 2026
The Cubs players continued to taunt Ruth at every opportunity, and a big one came their way in the bottom of the fourth inning when Jurges slashed a sinking liner into right field and the lumbering, top-heavy Babe muffed a shoestring catch.
—Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
Grab these ballet-core heels, which feature a block heel to keep your shoes from sinking into grass during outdoor ceremonies and receptions.
—Annie Blackman, InStyle, 6 June 2026
Willi Castro had a two-out double, but Frelick made a diving catch in right on a sinking liner by Ezequiel Tovar to save a run and end the inning.
—ABC News, 6 June 2026
Body camera video has been released showing the dramatic rescue of a woman from a sinking car in a Pompano Beach canal in May.
—CBS News, 6 June 2026
Plus, Supertramp already has the US$495K Megatron for those buyers who want to go straight to a turnkey top-of-line rig without sinking time into picking and choosing their own add-ons.
—New Atlas, 4 June 2026
The Club stock is sinking 15% this morning.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 June 2026
The economy is sinking from the war.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sinking
Adjective
-
Livaura Retinol Anti-Aging Hand Cream Retinol is a vitamin A derivative that boosts cell turnover and collagen production, while fading wrinkles, fine lines, and reducing visible signs of aging like dullness, dark spots, and texture.—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Thus, the wrecking ball came for the Purple Passion Pit and the rest of the complex, a monument to a fading but wonderfully hospitable era of Chicago entertainment and local entrepreneurship.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The process, known as lithospheric foundering, resembles a geological process on Earth in which portions of the planet's outermost layer sink into the mantle.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Any major foundering in New Mexico could have long-lasting consequences.—
Elliot Haspel,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This review may have already given away a little too much, but high places and plummeting are important details in this story.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
19 May 2026
-
With enrollment plummeting and bloated staffing levels, the district is already on shaky financial footing and can’t sustain payroll without drawing down its reserves.—
Aaron Garth Smith,
Oc Register,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The track shouldn’t do that The problem was a new patch of tarmac that apparently wasn’t up to scratch and started deteriorating under the cars’ tires.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
8 June 2026
-
Yet many investors and strategists say foreign selling has less to do with deteriorating fundamentals and more to do with the market's own success.—
Sean Conlon,Joseph Wilkins,Tanaya Macheel,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
The floor-length number was designed with a plunging V-neck, adorned with sparkling floral appliques.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
-
Strong wind gusts are expected to move into the Boise area, forecasters said, bringing low road visibility, plunging temperatures and possible power outages.—
Hali Smith,
Idaho Statesman,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
How to analyze a poetics of irreverence and improvisation—of life experienced in a perpetual present—without stifling precisely these qualities?—
Joe Dunthorne,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
-
Indiana used a balanced offensive approach and stifling defense to bounce back and improve to 5-4.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Verb
-
The body of a 5-year-old girl who was swept into the ocean with her family in Laguna Beach before vanishing in dangerously high surf has been recovered.—
Jazmin Alvarado,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
His spectral like figure seems to rise from the corpse, approaching the camera’s lens before vanishing.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
The price tag comes from the California State Auditor’s report that was issued last fall, which found that maintaining similar telework policies could potentially save $225 million annually by reducing the government’s office space footprint.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
6 June 2026
-
An April 2026 analysis identified 446 hospitals across 44 states at high risk of closing or reducing services because of Medicaid funding cuts.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sinking. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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