Dink vs. Sink — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Urooj Arif — Updated on April 4, 2024
Dink in sports refers to a gentle, short shot, aiming for precision rather than power, whereas sink involves an object descending below the surface, typically used in the context of liquids.
Difference Between Dink and Sink
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Key Differences
Dink, especially in sports like tennis or pickleball, describes a soft, strategic shot intended to drop over the net into the opponent's side, making it difficult to return. This technique focuses on placement and finesse rather than force. On the other hand, sink is a term often used to describe the action of an object going down below the surface of a liquid or similar medium. It implies a downward movement through or into something, where the object becomes submerged.
In the context of gameplay, a dink is used to outmaneuver an opponent by making the ball land just beyond the net, forcing the opponent to move forward and potentially opening up the court. Whereas, sink does not have a direct application in most sports but can describe the action of an object (like a ball) going underwater in activities such as water polo.
Dink shots are tactical and require a high degree of skill to execute effectively, often utilized in moments where a soft touch is necessary to win the point. In contrast, sinking is a physical process that can occur naturally, like a ship sinking in water, and does not necessarily involve skill or strategy.
When discussing a dink, the emphasis is on the control and intention behind the action, aiming to place the ball precisely. Sink, however, focuses more on the outcome of an object's descent below a surface, often without control over the final placement.
Dink and sink, while both verbs, are applied in vastly different contexts - dink is specific to certain sports and involves a deliberate, gentle stroke, while sink is more general and can describe anything from emotions to physical objects going downward.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A gentle, short shot in sports, aiming for precision.
Descending below the surface, typically in liquids.
Context
Used in sports like tennis or pickleball.
Used in general context, including objects in water.
Focus
On placement and strategy.
On the action of descending or submerging.
Skill
Requires finesse and control.
No specific skill, describes a natural process.
Outcome
Aiming to make the ball difficult to return.
Object becomes submerged or goes down.
Compare with Definitions
Dink
A minimal, strategic paddle touch in pickleball.
She secured the game with a series of well-executed dinks.
Sink
To go down below the surface of water.
The ship began to sink after hitting an iceberg.
Dink
A gentle pass in sports to strategically move the ball.
The dink over the defenders set up a surprising goal.
Sink
To descend or lower oneself or something.
He sank into the chair, exhausted from the day.
Dink
A soft shot in tennis designed to drop suddenly over the net.
He won the point with a cleverly placed dink.
Sink
To reduce in level or value.
The stock market sank after the unexpected news.
Dink
A strategy in volleyball to lightly tap the ball over the net.
The player used a dink to catch the defense off guard.
Sink
To be overwhelmed by emotion.
He sank into despair after the bad news.
Dink
A deliberate, soft hit in badminton to fall close to the net.
His dink shots were a key part of his victory.
Sink
To cause something to go down or be submerged.
She sank her feet into the warm sand at the beach.
Dink
A drop shot.
Sink
A sink – also known by other names including sinker, washbowl, hand basin, wash basin, and simply basin – is a bowl-shaped plumbing fixture used for washing hands, dishwashing, and other purposes. Sinks have taps (faucets) that supply hot and cold water and may include a spray feature to be used for faster rinsing.
Dink
A stupid, annoying, or contemptible person.
Sink
Go down below the surface of something, especially of a liquid; become submerged
He saw the coffin sink below the surface of the waves
Dink
Used as a disparaging term for a Vietnamese person, especially during the Vietnam War.
Sink
Descend from a higher to a lower position; drop downwards
You can relax on the veranda as the sun sinks low
Dink
A member of a couple who both hold jobs and have no children.
Sink
Gradually decrease or decline in value, amount, quality, or intensity
Their output sank to a third of the pre-war figure
Dink
(tennis) A soft drop shot.
Sink
Insert beneath a surface
Rails fixed in place with screws sunk below the surface of the wood
Dink
(pickleball) A soft drop shot played at or near the non-volley zone.
Sink
Rapidly consume (an alcoholic drink)
English players sinking a few post-match lagers
Dink
(soccer) A light chip; a chipped pass or shot
Sink
A fixed basin with a water supply and outflow pipe
A sink unit with cupboard and drawers under
I stood at the kitchen sink
Dink
A ride on the crossbar or handlebars of a bicycle.
I gave him a dink on my bike.
Sink
A pool or marsh in which a river's water disappears by evaporation or percolation.
Dink
A North Vietnamese soldier.
Sink
Short for sinkhole
Dink
(US) double income no kids.
Sink
A place of vice or corruption
A sink of unnatural vice, pride, and luxury
Dink
Hard work, especially one's share of a task.
Sink
To go below the surface of water or another liquid
We watched the leaky inner tube slowly sink.
Dink
A soldier from Australia or New Zealand, a member of the ANZAC forces during the First World War.
Sink
To descend to the bottom of a body of water or other liquid
Found the wreck where it had sunk.
Dink
The penis.
Sink
To fall or drop to a lower level, especially to go down slowly or in stages
The water in the lake sank several feet during the long, dry summer.
Dink
A foolish or contemptible person.
Sink
To subside or settle gradually
Cracks developed as the building sank.
Dink
(tennis) To play a soft drop shot.
Sink
To appear to move downward, as the sun or moon in setting.
Dink
(pickleball) To play a soft drop shot at or near the non-volley zone.
Sink
To slope downward; incline
The road sinks as it approaches the stream.
Dink
(football) To chip lightly, to play a light chip shot.
The forward dinked the ball over the goalkeeper to score his first goal of the season.
Sink
To fall or lower oneself slowly, as from weakness or fatigue
The exhausted runner sank to the ground.
Dink
To carry someone on a pushbike: behind, on the crossbar or on the handlebar.
Sink
To feel great disappointment or discouragement
Her heart sank within her.
Dink
Honest, fair, true.
Sink
To pass into something; penetrate
The claws sank into the flesh of the prey.
Dink
Genuine, proper, fair dinkum.
Sink
To steep or soak
The wine has sunk into my shirt.
Dink
Finely dressed, elegant; neat.
Sink
To pass into a specified condition
She sank into a deep sleep.
Dink
Alternative spelling of dinq
Sink
To deteriorate in quality or condition
The patient is sinking fast. The family sank into a state of disgrace.
Dink
Honestly, truly.
Sink
To diminish, as in value
Gold prices are sinking.
Dink
Trim; neat.
Sink
To become weaker, quieter, or less forceful
His voice sank to a whisper.
Dink
To deck; - often with out or up.
Sink
To make an impression; become felt or understood
The meaning finally sank in.
Dink
Either of a married couple who both are employed and have no children. The term is often used as the prototype of midde-class persons with higher-than-average disposable income.
Sink
To cause to descend beneath the surface or to the bottom of a liquid
Sink a ship.
Dink
A ball hit softly that falls to the ground just beyond the net.
Sink
To cause to penetrate deeply
He sank his sword into the dragon's belly.
Dink
An Asian person, especially a Vietnamese; - used contemptuously, considered disparaging and offensive.
Sink
To force into the ground
Sink a piling.
Dink
A couple who both have careers and no children (an acronym for dual income no kids)
Sink
To dig or drill (a mine or well) in the earth.
Dink
A soft return so that the tennis ball drops abruptly after crossing the net
Sink
To cause to drop or lower
Sank the bucket into the well.
Sink
(Sports) To propel (a ball or shot) into a hole, basket, or pocket.
Sink
To cause to be engrossed
"Frank sank himself in another book" (Patricia Highsmith).
Sink
To make weaker, quieter, or less forceful
She sank her voice when the manager walked by.
Sink
To reduce in quantity or worth
The bad news will sink markets around the world.
Sink
To debase the nature of; degrade
The scandal has sunk him in the eyes of many.
Sink
To bring to a low or ruined state; defeat or destroy
Loss of advertising sank the newspaper.
Sink
To suppress or hide
He sank his arrogance and apologized.
Sink
(Informal) To defeat, as in a game.
Sink
To invest or spend, often without getting a return or adequate value
I've sunk a lot of money into that car.
Sink
To pay off (a debt).
Sink
A water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe and generally a piped supply of water.
Sink
A cesspool.
Sink
A sinkhole.
Sink
A natural or artificial means of absorbing or removing a substance or a form of energy from a system.
Sink
A place regarded as wicked and corrupt
That city is a sink of corruption.
Sink
To move or be moved into something.
Sink
(ergative) To descend or submerge (or to cause to do so) into a liquid or similar substance.
A stone sinks in water.
The sun gradually sank in the west.
Sink
(transitive) To (directly or indirectly) cause a vessel to sink, generally by making it no longer watertight.
An iceberg sank the Titanic.
British battleships sank the Bismarck.
Sink
(transitive) To push (something) into something.
The joint will hold tighter if you sink a wood screw through both boards.
The dog sank its teeth into the delivery man's leg.
Sink
(transitive) To make by digging or delving.
To sink a well in the ground
Sink
To pot; hit a ball into a pocket or hole.
Sink
To diminish or be diminished.
Sink
To experience apprehension, disappointment, dread, or momentary depression.
Sink
To cause to decline; to depress or degrade.
To sink one's reputation
Sink
(intransitive) To demean or lower oneself; to do something below one's status, standards, or morals.
Sink
To conceal and appropriate.
Sink
To keep out of sight; to suppress; to ignore.
Sink
To drink (especially something alcoholic).
Sink
To pay absolutely.
I have sunk thousands of pounds into this project.
Sink
To reduce or extinguish by payment.
To sink the national debt
Sink
(intransitive) To be overwhelmed or depressed; to fail in strength.
Sink
To die.
Sink
(intransitive) To decrease in volume, as a river; to subside; to become diminished in volume or in apparent height.
Sink
A basin used for holding water for washing.
Sink
A drain for carrying off wastewater.
Sink
(geology) A sinkhole.
Sink
A depression in land where water collects, with no visible outlet.
Sink
A heat sink.
Sink
A place that absorbs resources or energy.
Sink
(ecology) A habitat that cannot support a population on its own but receives the excess of individuals from some other source.
Sink
(uncountable) Descending motion; descent.
An excessive sink rate at touchdown can cause the aircraft's landing gear to collapse.
Sink
(baseball) The motion of a sinker pitch.
Jones has a two-seamer with heavy sink.
Sink
An object or callback that captures events; an event sink.
Sink
(graph theory) A destination vertex in a transportation network.
Sink
An abode of degraded persons; a wretched place.
Sink
A depression in a stereotype plate.
Sink
(theater) A stage trapdoor for shifting scenery.
Sink
(mining) An excavation smaller than a shaft.
Sink
(game development) One or several systems that remove currency from the game's economy, thus controlling or preventing inflation.
Sink
To fall by, or as by, the force of gravity; to descend lower and lower; to decline gradually; to subside; as, a stone sinks in water; waves rise and sink; the sun sinks in the west.
I sink in deep mire.
Sink
To enter deeply; to fall or retire beneath or below the surface; to penetrate.
The stone sunk into his forehead.
Sink
Hence, to enter so as to make an abiding impression; to enter completely.
Let these sayings sink down into your ears.
Sink
To be overwhelmed or depressed; to fall slowly, as so the ground, from weakness or from an overburden; to fail in strength; to decline; to decay; to decrease.
I think our country sinks beneath the yoke.
He sunk down in his chariot.
Let not the fire sink or slacken.
Sink
To decrease in volume, as a river; to subside; to become diminished in volume or in apparent height.
The Alps and Pyreneans sink before him.
Sink
To cause to sink; to put under water; to immerse or submerge in a fluid; as, to sink a ship.
[The Athenians] fell upon the wings and sank a single ship.
Sink
Figuratively: To cause to decline; to depress; to degrade; hence, to ruin irretrievably; to destroy, as by drowping; as, to sink one's reputation.
I raise of sink, imprison or set free.
If I have a conscience, let it sink me.
Thy cruel and unnatural lust of powerHas sunk thy father more than all his years.
Sink
To make (a depression) by digging, delving, or cutting, etc.; as, to sink a pit or a well; to sink a die.
Sink
To bring low; to reduce in quantity; to waste.
You sunk the river repeated draughts.
Sink
To conseal and appropriate.
If sent with ready money to buy anything, and you happen to be out of pocket, sink the money, and take up the goods on account.
Sink
To keep out of sight; to suppress; to ignore.
A courtly willingness to sink obnoxious truths.
Sink
To reduce or extinguish by payment; as, to sink the national debt.
Sink
A drain to carry off filthy water; a jakes.
Sink
A shallow box or vessel of wood, stone, iron, or other material, connected with a drain, and used for receiving filthy water, etc., as in a kitchen.
Sink
A hole or low place in land or rock, where waters sink and are lost; - called also sink hole.
Sink
The lowest part of a natural hollow or closed basin whence the water of one or more streams escapes by evaporation; as, the sink of the Humboldt River.
Sink
Plumbing fixture consisting of a water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe
Sink
(technology) a process that acts to absorb or remove energy or a substance from a system;
The ocean is a sink for carbon dioxide
Sink
A depression in the ground communicating with a subterranean passage (especially in limestone) and formed by solution or by collapse of a cavern roof
Sink
A covered cistern; waste water and sewage flow into it
Sink
Fall or drop to a lower place or level;
He sank to his knees
Sink
Cause to sink;
The Japanese sank American ships in Pearl Harbor
Sink
Pass into a specified state or condition;
He sank into Nirvana
Sink
Go under,
The raft sank and its occupants drowned
Sink
Descend into or as if into some soft substance or place;
He sank into bed
She subsided into the chair
Sink
Appear to move downward;
The sun dipped below the horizon
The setting sun sank below the tree line
Sink
Fall heavily or suddenly; decline markedly;
The real estate market fell off
Sink
Fall or sink heavily;
He slumped onto the couch
My spirits sank
Sink
Embed deeply;
She sank her fingers into the soft sand
He buried his head in her lap
Common Curiosities
Can a dink be used in games other than tennis?
Yes, it's also used in pickleball, volleyball, and badminton as a strategic move.
What does it mean for a stock to sink?
It means the stock's value is decreasing, often rapidly, due to various market factors.
What is a dink in sports?
A gentle, strategic shot designed to make the ball land just beyond the net, difficult for the opponent to return.
Is sinking always related to water?
No, it can also refer to sinking into emotions or physical states like sinking into a chair.
How does skill factor into executing a dink?
It requires finesse, control, and strategic foresight to place the ball effectively.
Is a dink in pickleball different from tennis?
The basic principle is the same, but the execution may vary due to different ball dynamics and court sizes.
Why do objects sink?
Due to density and gravitational forces, objects denser than the liquid they are in tend to sink.
How does a sink occur?
It happens when an object descends below the surface of a liquid, becoming submerged due to gravity or other forces.
What does it mean to sink in economics?
It often refers to a decline in economic indicators or values, such as market prices or investment values.
How do you effectively execute a dink in pickleball?
It involves a gentle touch and precise aim, usually aiming just over the net to a hard-to-reach area.
What are some natural occurrences of sinking?
Natural sinking includes sedimentation at the bottom of bodies of water or geological subsidence.
Can sinking be prevented?
In some contexts, like ships, preventive measures can be taken, but it often depends on the scenario.
How can one prevent sinking in water?
Learning to swim, wearing flotation devices, and staying calm can help prevent sinking in water.
Can a person sink?
Yes, in the context of water, a person can sink if they are unable to float or swim.
What's the strategic advantage of a dink in volleyball?
It can catch the opposing team off guard, exploiting gaps in their defense.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
