The situation has come to the point where we either sink or swim.
Source: tatoeba (35744)
Sink
/sɪŋk/
Synonyms for "sink" (583 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (10)
Strong matches (15)
Related words (25)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: abase, abate, ablate, advance, age.
- Sentence evidence is available for sink, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from derived_reverse, moby, opengloss, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "sink".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "sink"
Keep "sink" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "sink" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "sink", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "sink" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
39 entriesShowing 16 of 39 words.
More specific
9 entriesCollocations
9 entriesInflections
4 entriesDerivations
2 entriesAntonyms
2 entriessimilar
7 entriesTranslations
58 translations across 39 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- fundos verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Ancient Greek
1 entries- βυθίζω verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Armenian
2 entries- խորտակել verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- սուզել verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- batırmaq verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Bashkir
1 entries- батырыу verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Belarusian
3 entries- патапіць verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- тапіць verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- утапіць verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Bulgarian
1 entries- потопявам verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Catalan
1 entries- enfonsar verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Czech
1 entries- potopit verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Danish
1 entries- sænke verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Dutch
1 entries- tot zinken brengen verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Esperanto
1 entries- alfundigi verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Estonian
1 entries- uputama verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Faroese
1 entries- søkkja verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Finnish
1 entries- upottaa verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
French
1 entries- couler verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Galician
3 entries- afondar verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- afundir verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- alagar verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Georgian
2 entries- დაძირვა verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- ჩაძირვა verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
German
1 entries- senken verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Gothic
1 entries- 𐍃𐌹𐌲𐌵𐌰𐌽 verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Greek
2 entries- βυθίζω verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- ποντίζω verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Hungarian
1 entries- elsüllyeszt verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Icelandic
1 entries- sökkva verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Ingrian
2 entries- upottaa verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- vajottaa verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Italian
3 entries- affondare verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- colare a picco verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- inabissare verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Japanese
1 entries- 沈める verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Khmer
4 entries- បញ្ចុះ verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- បំផ្លិច verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- ប្លេង verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- ពន្លង់ verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Latin
2 entries- mergo verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- mersum verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Māori
1 entries- whakatotohu verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Norwegian
1 entries- senke verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- senke verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Polish
2 entries- zatapiać verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- zatopić verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Portuguese
1 entries- afundar verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Russian
2 entries- потопи́ть verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
- топи́ть verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Spanish
1 entries- hundir verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Swedish
1 entries- sänka verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Thai
1 entries- จม verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Ukrainian
1 entries- затопи́ти verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Vietnamese
1 entries- chìm verb (cause (ship, etc) to sink)
Sample sentences
40 total sentences available.
The ship set sail only to sink two days later.
Source: tatoeba (45678)
The implications of this did not at first sink in.
Source: tatoeba (59014)
This means that houses are starting to sink, roads are breaking up and lamp-posts are leaning at crazy angles.
Source: tatoeba (61108)
Showing 4 of 40 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "sink"?
Closest matches include abase, abate, ablate, advance, age.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "sink"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.