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Sing vs. Sink — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Sing and Sink

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Definitions

Sing

Make musical sounds with the voice, especially words with a set tune
Bella sang to the baby

Sink

A sink – also known by other names including sinker, washbowl, hand basin, wash basin, and simply basin – is a bowl-shaped plumbing fixture used for washing hands, dishwashing, and other purposes. Sinks have taps (faucets) that supply hot and cold water and may include a spray feature to be used for faster rinsing.

Sing

Make a high-pitched whistling or buzzing sound
The kettle was beginning to sing

Sink

Go down below the surface of something, especially of a liquid; become submerged
He saw the coffin sink below the surface of the waves

Sing

Act as an informer to the police
As soon as he got put under pressure, he sang like a canary
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Sink

Descend from a higher to a lower position; drop downwards
You can relax on the veranda as the sun sinks low

Sing

Recount or celebrate in poetry or other literature
Poetry should sing the variety of the human race
These poets sing of the American experience

Sink

Gradually decrease or decline in value, amount, quality, or intensity
Their output sank to a third of the pre-war figure

Sing

An act or spell of singing
We asked him to come back and have a bit of a sing
A sponsored sing to pay for the theatre

Sink

Insert beneath a surface
Rails fixed in place with screws sunk below the surface of the wood
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Sing

To utter a series of words or sounds in musical tones.

Sink

Rapidly consume (an alcoholic drink)
English players sinking a few post-match lagers

Sing

To vocalize songs or selections.

Sink

A fixed basin with a water supply and outflow pipe
A sink unit with cupboard and drawers under
I stood at the kitchen sink

Sing

To perform songs or selections as a trained or professional singer.

Sink

A pool or marsh in which a river's water disappears by evaporation or percolation.

Sing

To produce sounds when played
Made the violin sing.

Sink

Short for sinkhole

Sing

To make melodious sounds
Birds singing outside the window.

Sink

A place of vice or corruption
A sink of unnatural vice, pride, and luxury

Sing

To give or have the effect of melody; lilt.

Sink

To go below the surface of water or another liquid
We watched the leaky inner tube slowly sink.

Sing

To make a high whining, humming, or whistling sound.

Sink

To descend to the bottom of a body of water or other liquid
Found the wreck where it had sunk.

Sing

To be filled with a buzzing or ringing sound.

Sink

To fall or drop to a lower level, especially to go down slowly or in stages
The water in the lake sank several feet during the long, dry summer.

Sing

To proclaim or extol something in verse.

Sink

To subside or settle gradually
Cracks developed as the building sank.

Sing

To write poetry.

Sink

To appear to move downward, as the sun or moon in setting.

Sing

(Slang) To give information or evidence against someone.

Sink

To slope downward; incline
The road sinks as it approaches the stream.

Sing

To produce the musical sound of
Sang a love song.

Sink

To fall or lower oneself slowly, as from weakness or fatigue
The exhausted runner sank to the ground.

Sing

To utter with musical inflections
She sang the message.

Sink

To feel great disappointment or discouragement
Her heart sank within her.

Sing

To bring to a specified state by singing
Sang the baby to sleep.

Sink

To pass into something; penetrate
The claws sank into the flesh of the prey.

Sing

To intone or chant (parts of the Mass, for example).

Sink

To steep or soak
The wine has sunk into my shirt.

Sing

To proclaim or extol, especially in verse
Sang his praises.

Sink

To pass into a specified condition
She sank into a deep sleep.

Sing

A gathering of people for group singing.

Sink

To deteriorate in quality or condition
The patient is sinking fast. The family sank into a state of disgrace.

Sing

(intransitive) To produce musical or harmonious sounds with one’s voice.
"I really want to sing in the school choir," said Vera.

Sink

To diminish, as in value
Gold prices are sinking.

Sing

(intransitive) To perform a vocal part in a musical composition, regardless of technique.

Sink

To become weaker, quieter, or less forceful
His voice sank to a whisper.

Sing

(transitive) To express audibly by means of a harmonious vocalization.
Sing a lullaby

Sink

To make an impression; become felt or understood
The meaning finally sank in.

Sing

(transitive) To soothe with singing.
To sing somebody to sleep

Sink

To cause to descend beneath the surface or to the bottom of a liquid
Sink a ship.

Sing

(ambitransitive) Of birds, to vocalise:

Sink

To cause to penetrate deeply
He sank his sword into the dragon's belly.

Sing

(ornithology) To produce a 'song', for the purposes of defending a breeding territory or to attract a mate.

Sink

To force into the ground
Sink a piling.

Sing

(literary) To produce any type of melodious vocalisation.

Sink

To dig or drill (a mine or well) in the earth.

Sing

To confess under interrogation.

Sink

To cause to drop or lower
Sank the bucket into the well.

Sing

(intransitive) To make a small, shrill sound.
The air sings in passing through a crevice.
A singing kettle

Sink

(Sports) To propel (a ball or shot) into a hole, basket, or pocket.

Sing

To relate in verse; to celebrate in poetry.

Sink

To cause to be engrossed
"Frank sank himself in another book" (Patricia Highsmith).

Sing

(intransitive) To display fine qualities; to stand out as excellent.
The sauce really makes this lamb sing.

Sink

To make weaker, quieter, or less forceful
She sank her voice when the manager walked by.

Sing

(ergative) To be capable of being sung; to produce a certain effect by being sung.

Sink

To reduce in quantity or worth
The bad news will sink markets around the world.

Sing

(AU) In traditional Aboriginal culture, to direct a supernatural influence on (a person or thing), usually malign; to curse.

Sink

To debase the nature of; degrade
The scandal has sunk him in the eyes of many.

Sing

The act, or event, of singing songs.
I sometimes have a quick sing in the shower.

Sink

To bring to a low or ruined state; defeat or destroy
Loss of advertising sank the newspaper.

Sing

To utter sounds with musical inflections or melodious modulations of voice, as fancy may dictate, or according to the notes of a song or tune, or of a given part (as alto, tenor, etc.) in a chorus or concerted piece.
The noise of them that sing do I hear.

Sink

To suppress or hide
He sank his arrogance and apologized.

Sing

To utter sweet melodious sounds, as birds do.
On every bough the briddes heard I sing.
Singing birds, in silver cages hung.

Sink

(Informal) To defeat, as in a game.

Sing

To make a small, shrill sound; as, the air sings in passing through a crevice.
O'er his head the flying spearSang innocent, and spent its force in air.

Sink

To invest or spend, often without getting a return or adequate value
I've sunk a lot of money into that car.

Sing

To tell or relate something in numbers or verse; to celebrate something in poetry.
Bid her . . . singOf human hope by cross event destroyed.

Sink

To pay off (a debt).

Sing

To cry out; to complain.
They should sing if thet they were bent.

Sink

A water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe and generally a piped supply of water.

Sing

To utter with musical inflections or modulations of voice.
And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.
And in the darkness sing your carol of high praise.

Sink

A cesspool.

Sing

To celebrate in song; to give praises to in verse; to relate or rehearse in numbers, verse, or poetry.
Arms and the man I sing.
The last, the happiest British king,Whom thou shalt paint or I shall sing.

Sink

A sinkhole.

Sing

To influence by singing; to lull by singing; as, to sing a child to sleep.

Sink

A natural or artificial means of absorbing or removing a substance or a form of energy from a system.

Sing

To accompany, or attend on, with singing.
I heard them singing home the bride.

Sink

A place regarded as wicked and corrupt
That city is a sink of corruption.

Sing

Deliver by singing;
Sing Christmas carols

Sink

To move or be moved into something.

Sing

Produce tones with the voice;
She was singing while she was cooking
My brother sings very well

Sink

(ergative) To descend or submerge (or to cause to do so) into a liquid or similar substance.
A stone sinks in water.
The sun gradually sank in the west.

Sing

To make melodious sounds;
The nightingale was singing

Sink

(transitive) To (directly or indirectly) cause a vessel to sink, generally by making it no longer watertight.
An iceberg sank the Titanic.
British battleships sank the Bismarck.

Sing

Make a whining, ringing, or whistling sound;
The kettle was singing
The bullet sang past his ear

Sink

(transitive) To push (something) into something.
The joint will hold tighter if you sink a wood screw through both boards.
The dog sank its teeth into the delivery man's leg.

Sing

Divulge confidential information or secrets;
Be careful--his secretary talks

Sink

(transitive) To make by digging or delving.
To sink a well in the ground

Sink

To pot; hit a ball into a pocket or hole.

Sink

To diminish or be diminished.

Sink

To experience apprehension, disappointment, dread, or momentary depression.

Sink

To cause to decline; to depress or degrade.
To sink one's reputation

Sink

(intransitive) To demean or lower oneself; to do something below one's status, standards, or morals.

Sink

To conceal and appropriate.

Sink

To keep out of sight; to suppress; to ignore.

Sink

To drink (especially something alcoholic).

Sink

To pay absolutely.
I have sunk thousands of pounds into this project.

Sink

To reduce or extinguish by payment.
To sink the national debt

Sink

(intransitive) To be overwhelmed or depressed; to fail in strength.

Sink

To die.

Sink

(intransitive) To decrease in volume, as a river; to subside; to become diminished in volume or in apparent height.

Sink

A basin used for holding water for washing.

Sink

A drain for carrying off wastewater.

Sink

(geology) A sinkhole.

Sink

A depression in land where water collects, with no visible outlet.

Sink

A heat sink.

Sink

A place that absorbs resources or energy.

Sink

(ecology) A habitat that cannot support a population on its own but receives the excess of individuals from some other source.

Sink

(uncountable) Descending motion; descent.
An excessive sink rate at touchdown can cause the aircraft's landing gear to collapse.

Sink

(baseball) The motion of a sinker pitch.
Jones has a two-seamer with heavy sink.

Sink

An object or callback that captures events; an event sink.

Sink

(graph theory) A destination vertex in a transportation network.

Sink

An abode of degraded persons; a wretched place.

Sink

A depression in a stereotype plate.

Sink

(theater) A stage trapdoor for shifting scenery.

Sink

(mining) An excavation smaller than a shaft.

Sink

(game development) One or several systems that remove currency from the game's economy, thus controlling or preventing inflation.

Sink

To fall by, or as by, the force of gravity; to descend lower and lower; to decline gradually; to subside; as, a stone sinks in water; waves rise and sink; the sun sinks in the west.
I sink in deep mire.

Sink

To enter deeply; to fall or retire beneath or below the surface; to penetrate.
The stone sunk into his forehead.

Sink

Hence, to enter so as to make an abiding impression; to enter completely.
Let these sayings sink down into your ears.

Sink

To be overwhelmed or depressed; to fall slowly, as so the ground, from weakness or from an overburden; to fail in strength; to decline; to decay; to decrease.
I think our country sinks beneath the yoke.
He sunk down in his chariot.
Let not the fire sink or slacken.

Sink

To decrease in volume, as a river; to subside; to become diminished in volume or in apparent height.
The Alps and Pyreneans sink before him.

Sink

To cause to sink; to put under water; to immerse or submerge in a fluid; as, to sink a ship.
[The Athenians] fell upon the wings and sank a single ship.

Sink

Figuratively: To cause to decline; to depress; to degrade; hence, to ruin irretrievably; to destroy, as by drowping; as, to sink one's reputation.
I raise of sink, imprison or set free.
If I have a conscience, let it sink me.
Thy cruel and unnatural lust of powerHas sunk thy father more than all his years.

Sink

To make (a depression) by digging, delving, or cutting, etc.; as, to sink a pit or a well; to sink a die.

Sink

To bring low; to reduce in quantity; to waste.
You sunk the river repeated draughts.

Sink

To conseal and appropriate.
If sent with ready money to buy anything, and you happen to be out of pocket, sink the money, and take up the goods on account.

Sink

To keep out of sight; to suppress; to ignore.
A courtly willingness to sink obnoxious truths.

Sink

To reduce or extinguish by payment; as, to sink the national debt.

Sink

A drain to carry off filthy water; a jakes.

Sink

A shallow box or vessel of wood, stone, iron, or other material, connected with a drain, and used for receiving filthy water, etc., as in a kitchen.

Sink

A hole or low place in land or rock, where waters sink and are lost; - called also sink hole.

Sink

The lowest part of a natural hollow or closed basin whence the water of one or more streams escapes by evaporation; as, the sink of the Humboldt River.

Sink

Plumbing fixture consisting of a water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe

Sink

(technology) a process that acts to absorb or remove energy or a substance from a system;
The ocean is a sink for carbon dioxide

Sink

A depression in the ground communicating with a subterranean passage (especially in limestone) and formed by solution or by collapse of a cavern roof

Sink

A covered cistern; waste water and sewage flow into it

Sink

Fall or drop to a lower place or level;
He sank to his knees

Sink

Cause to sink;
The Japanese sank American ships in Pearl Harbor

Sink

Pass into a specified state or condition;
He sank into Nirvana

Sink

Go under,
The raft sank and its occupants drowned

Sink

Descend into or as if into some soft substance or place;
He sank into bed
She subsided into the chair

Sink

Appear to move downward;
The sun dipped below the horizon
The setting sun sank below the tree line

Sink

Fall heavily or suddenly; decline markedly;
The real estate market fell off

Sink

Fall or sink heavily;
He slumped onto the couch
My spirits sank

Sink

Embed deeply;
She sank her fingers into the soft sand
He buried his head in her lap

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