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sink one's teeth into

sink
S s

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [singk]
    • /sɪŋk wʌnz tiθ ˈɪn tu/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [singk]
    • /sɪŋk wʌnz tiθ ˈɪn tu/

Definitions of sink one's teeth into words

  • verb without object sink one's teeth into to displace part of the volume of a supporting substance or object and become totally or partially submerged or enveloped; fall or descend into or below the surface or to the bottom (often followed by in or into): The battleship sank within two hours. His foot sank in the mud. Her head sinks into the pillows. 1
  • verb without object sink one's teeth into to fall, drop, or descend gradually to a lower level: The river sank two feet during the dry spell. 1
  • verb without object sink one's teeth into to settle or fall gradually, as a heavy structure: The tower is slowly sinking. 1
  • verb without object sink one's teeth into to fall or collapse slowly from weakness, fatigue, distress, etc.: He gasped and sank to his knees. 1
  • verb without object sink one's teeth into to slope downward; dip: The field sinks toward the highway. 1
  • verb without object sink one's teeth into to go down toward or below the horizon: the sun sinks in the west. 1
See all 40 definitions of sink one's teeth into

Information block about the term

Origin of sink one's teeth into

First appearance:

before 1000
One of the 6% oldest English words
before 1000; (v.) Middle English sinken, Old English sincan; cognate with Dutch zinken, German sinken, Old Norse sǫkkva, Gothic singkwan; (noun) late Middle English: cesspool, derivative of the v.

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Sink one's teeth into

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Sink one's teeth into

sink one's teeth into popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

See also

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