Sinker

//ˈsɪŋkə(ɹ)// noun, slang

noun, slang ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    That which sinks or descends.
  2. 2
    a pitch that curves downward rapidly as it approaches the plate wordnet
  3. 3
    One who sinks something.

    "McLachlan's value as a coal miner was enhanced by the specialized skill he learned as a shaft-sinker."

  4. 4
    a weight that sinks (as to hold nets or fishing lines under water) wordnet
  5. 5
    A weight used in fishing to cause the line or net to sink.

    "Hook the sinker onto this loop."

Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    a small ring-shaped friedcake wordnet
  2. 7
    Any of several high speed pitches that have a downward motion near the plate; a two-seam fastball, a split-finger fastball, or a forkball.

    "His sinkers drew one ground ball after another."

  3. 8
    A sinker nail, used for framing in current construction.
  4. 9
    A doughnut; a biscuit. slang

    "Of the fifty cents, ten went for the glassy shoeshine; twenty-five for a boutonniere; ten for coffee and sinkers at the Cockeyed Bakery."

  5. 10
    In knitting machines, one of the thin plates, blades, or other devices, that depress the loops upon or between the needles.

Example

More examples

"He fell for it hook, line, and sinker."

Etymology

From sink + -er.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.