word-vault

{ "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." }