sunk: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B2Neutral. Common in everyday, business, and technical contexts.
Quick answer
What does “sunk” mean?
The past participle and simple past tense of 'sink', meaning to descend below the surface of a liquid or to move downward.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The past participle and simple past tense of 'sink', meaning to descend below the surface of a liquid or to move downward.
Describes a state of having been submerged, descended, or lowered. Figuratively, it denotes a state of decline, defeat, or dejection (e.g., a 'sunk cost', feeling 'sunk' by bad news).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In British English, the simple past is overwhelmingly 'sank'. The use of 'sunk' as the simple past is non-standard and rare in formal writing. In American English, 'sunk' as a simple past tense (e.g., 'The ship sunk.') is more common in informal usage, though 'sank' is still the preferred form in formal writing. The past participle 'sunk' is standard in both.
Connotations
In both varieties, 'sunk' as an adjective ('sunk cost', 'sunk fence') is standard. The informal expression 'I'm/we're sunk' (meaning doomed) is neutral in connotation across dialects.
Frequency
'Sank' is more frequent than 'sunk' for the simple past in corpus data for both varieties, but the gap is smaller in American English. The past participle 'sunk' is high frequency.
Grammar
How to Use “sunk” in a Sentence
[Subject] has/had sunk [Object] (transitive)[Subject] has/had sunk (intransitive)[Subject] has/had sunk [Prepositional Phrase][Subject] is sunk (adjectival complement)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “sunk” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The submarine had already sunk before the rescue ships arrived.
- He sank the putt brilliantly to win the match.
- Their hopes sank when they saw the weather forecast.
American English
- The company sunk millions into the failed project.
- She sunk into the armchair after a long day.
- The basketball sunk through the net without touching the rim.
adverb
British English
- (Rare as a dedicated adverb; typically part of a verb phrase)
American English
- (Rare as a dedicated adverb; typically part of a verb phrase)
adjective
British English
- The concept of sunk costs is crucial in business strategy.
- They surveyed the wreck of the sunk battleship.
- After the bad news, he had a sunk expression.
American English
- We have to ignore the sunk investment and move on.
- The sunk patio creates a nice sheltered area in the garden.
- It's a sunk deal; there's no point negotiating further.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Refers to 'sunk costs'—expenditures that cannot be recovered and should not factor into future decisions.
Academic
Used in economics (sunk cost fallacy), history (sunk fleets), geology (sunk landmasses), and literature (figurative descent).
Everyday
Describing objects that have fallen in water, emotional states ('sunk into despair'), or informal defeat ('Our team is sunk.').
Technical
Maritime (sunk vessels), construction (sunk foundations, sunk fences), and finance (sunk investment).
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “sunk”
- Incorrect: *'The boat has sank.' (Correct: 'The boat has sunk.')
- Informal/AmE: 'The boat sunk yesterday.' (Formally preferred: 'The boat sank yesterday.')
- Confusing 'sunk' (verb/adj.) with 'sunken' (primarily adjective, e.g., 'sunken cheeks', 'sunken treasure').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Sank' is the traditional and formally preferred simple past tense (e.g., 'The ship sank'). 'Sunk' as the simple past is a common variant in informal American English and is considered non-standard in formal British English. Both use 'sunk' as the past participle (e.g., 'The ship has sunk').
'Sunk' is the past participle of the verb and can be used as an adjective, often attributively before a noun ('sunk cost', 'sunk ship'). 'Sunken' is primarily an adjective, often used for a state resulting from sinking, and can be used both attributively ('sunken garden', 'sunken eyes') and predicatively ('His eyes were sunken.'). 'Sunken' is less commonly used as a past participle in modern English.
A 'sunk cost' is money that has already been spent and cannot be recovered. The 'sunk cost fallacy' is the mistake of continuing an endeavor based on the cumulative prior investment (sunk costs) rather than current and future rational analysis.
Yes, figuratively. To say someone looks or feels 'sunk' means they appear or feel defeated, dejected, or in a state of despair, as if they have metaphorically descended into a low state.
Sunk is usually neutral. common in everyday, business, and technical contexts. in register.
Sunk: in British English it is pronounced /sʌŋk/, and in American English it is pronounced /sʌŋk/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “sunk costs (money/time already spent and irrecoverable)”
- “sunk without a trace”
- “that's sunk it! (BrE, informal, ruined the plan)”
- “I'm/we're sunk (doomed, in trouble)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a SUNK-en ship. The SUN has set (past action), and the 'K' at the end is like the ship hitting the bottom with a hard sound.
Conceptual Metaphor
FAILURE/DECLINE IS DOWNWARD MOTION (e.g., 'His hopes were sunk.'); PAST/IRREVERSIBLE IS SUNK (e.g., 'sunk costs').
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'sunk' used as a simple past tense, which is more accepted in informal American English than in British English?