Slang dictionary
let that sink in
[ let that singk in ]
What does let that sink in mean?
Let that sink in is an idiom used immediately after a statement to urge that it be properly considered so that it can be fully understood and appreciated.
Example: The team has lost 56 games in a row and there are only 12 games in a season. Let that sink in.
When someone uses the phrase, it typically indicates that they think the information they have just communicated is extremely surprising, interesting, or consequential.
In the expression, the verb phrase sink in means “to enter or penetrate the mind.” Someone who lets a statement sink in spends some time “absorbing” it in order to consider it and its implications. The term likens the mind to a sponge soaking in information before being able to process it.
Apart from its use as a kind of command, the phrase let that sink in can also be used in statements about a person (or oneself) following such a command, as in I told my parents that I was planning to backpack across Europe, and I let that sink in before I asked for some money for the trip.
Where does let that sink in come from?
The idiom let that sink in has always been used to emphasize shocking or interesting statements. It uses the phrasal verb sink in, meaning “to enter or penetrate the mind”—likening the mind to a sponge that can soak up information. Both sink in and let that sink in have been used since at least the late 1800s.
In the 2010s, the phrase let that sink in came to be used as the basis of a meme featuring some kind of statement paired with an image of a bathroom or kitchen sink at a doorway, thus creating a visual pun on the phrase let that sink in.
Examples of let that sink in
Who uses let that sink in?
Let that sink in is a commonly used idiom. It’s typically used to emphasize a statement considered extremely surprising, interesting, or consequential.
College freshmen were born the year mean girls came out. Let that sink in.
— astro memes for chronically online teens (@magstrology) August 25, 2022
Florentino Perez signed Militao, Alaba and Rudiger for a combined fee of €50M. Let that sink in.
— Bazam🦒 (@TiboSZN) August 30, 2022
Gun violence is now the NUMBER ONE cause of death for American children.
Let that sink in. Number one. It simply does not have to be this way.
— Giffords (@GiffordsCourage) September 24, 2022
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of let that sink in like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of let that sink in that will help our users expand their word mastery.