1
as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
his fortunes have steadily sunk since the breakup of his business
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2
as in plunged
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 swallowed
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
sinks his pride and makes the first step towards a reconciliation
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4
as in disappeared
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 reduced
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 humiliated
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 fallen
to lead or extend downward
the road sinks abruptly after that curve
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8
as in faded
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 sunk
Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
The sunk cost fallacy, for example, can lead companies to continue investing in maintaining a physical office space, despite the benefits of remote work.
—Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, Forbes, 6 Feb. 2023
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
According to reports, the war has seen over 3,000 strikes across Iran, which has resulted in 43 Iranian ships sunk.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sunk
Adjective
With Aguirre’s plan, the efforts will become a sunk cost.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
The sunk cost fallacy, for example, can lead companies to continue investing in maintaining a physical office space, despite the benefits of remote work.
—Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, Forbes, 6 Feb. 2023
Verb
Despite Tuesday’s outing, his early clunkers may have already sunk his chances to make the team.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
According to reports, the war has seen over 3,000 strikes across Iran, which has resulted in 43 Iranian ships sunk.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sunk
Adjective
-
Owner Jason Boso fixed that, infusing $2 million into the 10-year-old bar on better bathrooms, a covered section of the patio and a re-done kitchen.—
Sarah Blaskovich,
Dallas News,
3 Apr. 2023
Verb
-
Any residual good will between the Pentagon and Anthropic soon fully deteriorated.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
-
But into her sixties and seventies her physical health deteriorated.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Back then, the S & P 500 plunged over 40% in a year as a recession occurred alongside the OPEC oil crisis.—
Morgan Chittum,Matthew J. Belvedere,
CNBC,
14 Mar. 2026
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Hanson, who spends much of his life crawling through underbrush to count trees, plunged ahead into stands of chest-high ceanothus, pointing out sequoias camouflaged in the pervasive post-fire brush.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
One big studio is about to get swallowed up by another.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Last year, a massive sinkhole swallowed a truck in a city outside Tokyo, trapping the driver inside for more than 24 hours.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Mumma, 44, is charged with tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of Gratton, a 34-year-old transgender woman from Denver who disappeared in April and was found dead in a Lakewood alley in June.—
The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
12 Mar. 2026
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But others in Paine — where 70 people were forcibly disappeared under the Pinochet dictatorship, more than in any other municipality in Chile — are less optimistic about the rise to power of a supporter of the regime.—
John Bartlett,
NPR,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Halsey said the women’s identities were reduced to billboard images during the investigation of their deaths.—
Jane Horowitz,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Second, the swift realignment of NASA Goddard’s priorities with the President’s budget request for the 2026 fiscal year — a realignment that occurred when the budget was still only a request — reduced the availability of mission formulation and mission engineering personnel to work on AXIS.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
At one point in his teenage years, Diaz was publicly humiliated by the football team who forcefully shaved his curly hair.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Walz and Ellison were humiliated and could not account for their blundering.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Since the 2015 merger, Kraft Heinz shares have fallen roughly 65%–70%.—
Paul Polman,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Murders in the city have fallen by more than 40% this year, from 61 by this time last year to 36, officials said.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sunk. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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