sinking
noun · n
Simple meaning
A slow fall or decline.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
singkingSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsɪŋkɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A slow fall or decline (as for lack of strength)
“After several hours of sinking an unexpected rally rescued the market.”
A descent as through liquid (especially through water)
“They still talk about the sinking of the Titanic.”
A feeling caused by uneasiness or apprehension
n
Sinking, also known as doming, dishing or dapping, is a metalworking technique whereby flat sheet metal is formed into a non-flat object by hammering it into a concave indentation.
The second studio album by British electronic music group the Aloof, released by East West Records in the United Kingdom on 27 May 1996.
A novella written by Yu Dafu.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A slow fall or decline (as for lack of strength)
Used this way, sinking is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in technical or specialist writing contexts.
“After several hours of sinking an unexpected rally rescued the market.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Slownoun
“After several hours of sinking an unexpected rally rescued the market.”
Descentnoun
“They still talk about the sinking of the Titanic.”
More ways to use sinking
- “After several hours of sinking an unexpected rally rescued the market.”noun
- “They still talk about the sinking of the Titanic.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Fall or descend to a lower place or level.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A feeling caused by uneasiness or apprehension.
A fund accumulated regularly in a separate account and used to redeem debt securities.
A temporary decline in health or value.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.