sinkhole
Americannoun
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a hole formed in soluble rock by the action of water, serving to conduct surface water to an underground passage.
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Also called sink. a depressed area in which waste or drainage collects.
noun
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Also called (esp Brit): swallow hole. a depression in the ground surface, esp in limestone, where a surface stream disappears underground
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a place into which foul matter runs
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A natural depression in a land surface formed by the dissolution and collapse of a cavern roof. Sinkholes are roughly funnel-shaped and on the order of tens of meters in size. They generally occur in limestone regions and are connected to subteranean passages.
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Also called sink
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See more at karst topography
Etymology
Origin of sinkhole
late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at sink, hole
Explanation
A sinkhole is a dent or dip in the ground that's caused by a collapsing surface. Most sinkholes result from erosion. Water is basically what causes sinkholes; certain kinds of rock naturally dissolve over time from being repeatedly saturated, and the result can be a depression or sunken spot in the ground. Some underground caverns and caves are the result of sinkholes. Human-caused collapses are often referred to as sinkholes too. These occur when unused mines collapse, or in urban environments where water or sewer pipes leak and cause concrete above them to crack and sink.
Vocabulary lists containing sinkhole
Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science - High School
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Earth Science - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A massive sinkhole nearly 30 feet deep swallowed his backyard, coming within 3 feet of the house.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Meanwhile, a woman had to be rescued when her car fell into a sinkhole that emerged on a road near the western town of Cáceres.
From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026
Bundy and the mayor led a driving tour of the shattered coastline, stopping at one property where the destruction of a home revealed a sea wall below with a pre-existing sinkhole.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026
Initially thought to be caused by a sinkhole, engineers later said the embankment in Whitchurch had collapsed, causing water to flood out.
From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025
Except it all kind of devolved into this sinkhole of gossip and bad poetry and misspelled Bible quotes.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
