sunk

[ suhngk ]

verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of sink.

adjective

1. Informal. beyond help; done for; washed up:

   If they catch you cheating, you're really sunk.

2. Nautical. (of a forecastle or poop) raised less than a full deck above the weather deck of a ship.

sunk

/ sʌŋk /

verb

1. a past participle of sink

adjective

1. informal.
   with all hopes dashed; ruined

   if the police come while we're opening the safe, we'll be sunk

Other Words From

• half-sunk adjective
• un·sunk adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sunk¹

First recorded in 1925–30 sunk fordef 2

Example Sentences

But he wasn’t wrong on Tuesday night, and as the fact of Trump’s victory finally sunk in, the network’s anchors and panelists were finally free to do what they’d wanted to do for hours.

From Slate

Vice President Kamala Harris has her faults, but she has not sunk to the level of Donald Trump.

From Salon

And little wonder: Surveys show that U.S. opinions of China have sunk to an all-time low.

From Los Angeles Times

The George Floyd protests put police reform on the agenda and served as a wake-up call about the raw, contemporary dangers of structural racism, but except for its transformation into a scary right-wing bedtime story about looters and out-of-control cities, it seems to have sunk back below the surface, leaving only a few cultural ripples behind.

From Slate

But his biggest obstacle came ultimately from its earliest supporters, who have sunk billions of dollars into the Los Angeles suburb, making it an entertainment juggernaut.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• desperate
• forlorn
• helpless
• impossible
• pointless
• sad
• tragic
• useless