sinks

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of sink.

   The restaurant kitchen kept all its sinks scrubbed and gleaming.

   Both sinks in the laundry room drained slowly after the flood.

   Note

   One spelling, two jobs. As a noun it counts washbasins, drains, sinkholes and heat sinks alike, and it also covers places that soak up resources or energy. The same letters spell the verb's present form (the boat sinks), so the words around it decide which one you have. A number or determiner in front (two sinks, the sinks) marks the noun.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of sink.

   The stone sinks straight to the bottom of the clear pond.

   Whenever the price of oil falls, the whole market sinks with it.

   Note

   One form serves every use of the verb, so the rest of the sentence decides the meaning: a stone sinks, a torpedo sinks a ship, a player sinks a ball into a pocket, a heart sinks at bad news. Only that last, figurative use never takes an object. The past tense is sank and the participle sunk: the stone sank, and it has sunk.

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