Sink vs. Drown — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 9, 2024
Sinking involves an object going down in water due to gravity, often irrespective of its will, while drowning refers to the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid.
Difference Between Sink and Drown
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Sinking is a physical process where an object moves downwards in a fluid, primarily water, because its density is greater than that of the fluid. This can apply to anything from a stone to a ship, depending on its buoyancy and structural integrity. Drowning, on the other hand, specifically describes a situation where a living being is unable to breathe due to being submerged in water or another liquid, leading to suffocation and potentially fatal outcomes.
The concept of sinking is governed by principles of physics, particularly the laws of buoyancy and density. An object will sink if its density is higher than the fluid it is in. Drowning is a biological response to the lack of oxygen and the inhalation of water, which disrupts the body's ability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide, crucial for survival.
Sinking can be a gradual or sudden process based on the circumstances, such as water breaching a boat's hull or a rock being dropped into a pond. Drowning is an acute emergency that requires immediate intervention, highlighting the critical difference in the nature of these events. The former is about displacement and buoyancy, while the latter concerns respiratory distress and survival.
Preventative measures against sinking involve engineering solutions like waterproofing, buoyancy aids, and structural integrity maintenance. Drowning prevention focuses on safety practices around water bodies, such as swimming lessons, lifeguards, and personal flotation devices. These approaches reflect the distinct challenges posed by sinking and drowning.
While sinking may lead to drowning if living beings are involved and rescue measures are not promptly taken, not all sinking incidents result in drowning, such as a controlled submersion of a submarine. Conversely, drowning can occur without a significant sinking event, such as when a person is overwhelmed by a wave at the beach.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
The descent of an object in water due to gravity and higher density than the fluid.
The process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion in liquid.
Governing Factors
Buoyancy, density, and gravity.
Ability to breathe, swim, and stay afloat.
Outcomes
Can vary from harmless to catastrophic, depending on the context.
Often leads to fatal outcomes without quick intervention.
Prevention
Structural integrity, buoyancy aids, waterproofing.
Swimming lessons, lifeguards, flotation devices.
Examples
A ship sinking after hitting an iceberg.
A person drowning after being unable to swim in deep water.
Compare with Definitions
Sink
Refers to objects submerged by gravity.
Stones sink in water because they are denser.
Drown
Can occur in any liquid where breathing is obstructed.
People can drown in water, quicksand, or even in a vat of grain.
Sink
Not inherently related to life or gone.
A robot can sink to the ocean floor to collect samples without any risk of drowning.
Drown
To suffer respiratory impairment from being in or under a liquid.
Without proper swim skills, individuals can drown in deep water.
Sink
To go down below the surface of water due to weight or lack of buoyancy.
The Titanic sank after colliding with an iceberg.
Drown
Requires immediate emergency response.
CPR is administered to victims of drowning to try to save their lives.
Sink
Involves physical and engineering principles to prevent.
Submarines are designed to sink and rise controlledly.
Drown
Prevention focuses on safety and supervision.
Lifeguards are trained to prevent drowning incidents at pools.
Sink
Can happen to various entities, from small objects to large vessels.
Cargo ships can sink if their hulls are breached.
Drown
To kill by submerging and suffocating in water or another liquid.
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.
Drown
To drench thoroughly or cover with or as if with a liquid.
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
Drown
To deaden one's awareness of; blot out
People who drowned their troubles in drink.
Sink
Descend from a higher to a lower position; drop downwards
You can relax on the veranda as the sun sinks low
Drown
To muffle or mask (a sound) by a louder sound
Screams that were drowned out by the passing train.
Sink
Gradually decrease or decline in value, amount, quality, or intensity
Their output sank to a third of the pre-war figure
Drown
To die by suffocating in water or another liquid.
Sink
Insert beneath a surface
Rails fixed in place with screws sunk below the surface of the wood
Drown
(intransitive) To die from suffocation while immersed in water or other fluid.
When I was a baby, I nearly drowned in the bathtub.
Sink
Rapidly consume (an alcoholic drink)
English players sinking a few post-match lagers
Drown
(transitive) To kill by suffocating in water or another liquid.
The car thief fought with an officer and tried to drown a police dog before being shot while escaping.
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
Drown
(intransitive) To be flooded: to be inundated with or submerged in (literally) water or (figuratively) other things; to be overwhelmed.
We are drowning in information but starving for wisdom.
Sink
A pool or marsh in which a river's water disappears by evaporation or percolation.
Drown
To inundate, submerge, overwhelm.
He drowns his sorrows in buckets of chocolate ice cream.
Sink
Short for sinkhole
Drown
To obscure, particularly amid an overwhelming volume of other items.
The answers intelligence services seek are often drowned in the flood of information they can now gather.
Sink
A place of vice or corruption
A sink of unnatural vice, pride, and luxury
Drown
To be suffocated in water or other fluid; to perish in water.
Methought, what pain it was to drown.
Sink
To go below the surface of water or another liquid
We watched the leaky inner tube slowly sink.
Drown
To overwhelm in water; to submerge; to inundate.
Sink
To descend to the bottom of a body of water or other liquid
Found the wreck where it had sunk.
Drown
To deprive of life by immersion in water or other liquid.
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.
Drown
To overpower; to overcome; to extinguish; - said especially of sound.
Most men being in sensual pleasures drowned.
My private voice is drowned amid the senate.
Sink
To subside or settle gradually
Cracks developed as the building sank.
Drown
Cover completely or make imperceptible;
I was drowned in work
The noise drowned out her speech
Sink
To appear to move downward, as the sun or moon in setting.
Drown
Get rid of as if by submerging;
She drowned her trouble in alcohol
Sink
To slope downward; incline
The road sinks as it approaches the stream.
Drown
Die from being submerged in water, getting water into the lungs, and asphyxiating;
The child drowned in the lake
Sink
To fall or lower oneself slowly, as from weakness or fatigue
The exhausted runner sank to the ground.
Drown
Kill by submerging in water;
He drowned the kittens
Sink
To feel great disappointment or discouragement
Her heart sank within her.
Sink
To pass into something; penetrate
The claws sank into the flesh of the prey.
Sink
To steep or soak
The wine has sunk into my shirt.
Sink
To pass into a specified condition
She sank into a deep sleep.
Sink
To deteriorate in quality or condition
The patient is sinking fast. The family sank into a state of disgrace.
Sink
To diminish, as in value
Gold prices are sinking.
Sink
To become weaker, quieter, or less forceful
His voice sank to a whisper.
Sink
To make an impression; become felt or understood
The meaning finally sank in.
Sink
To cause to descend beneath the surface or to the bottom of a liquid
Sink a ship.
Sink
To cause to penetrate deeply
He sank his sword into the dragon's belly.
Sink
To force into the ground
Sink a piling.
Sink
To dig or drill (a mine or well) in the earth.
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
Are all drowning incidents fatal?
Not all; some victims can be revived if rescued promptly and given immediate medical attention.
Can anything sink?
Yes, any object can sink if its density is greater than the fluid it is placed in.
How can sinking be prevented?
Through proper design, maintenance, and the use of buoyancy aids, sinking can be mitigated or prevented.
Why do some objects float instead of sink?
Objects float when their density is less than that of the fluid they're in or when they displace enough water to support their weight.
What is the first step in rescuing a drowning person?
Ensuring the rescuer's safety, then extending a lifeline or flotation device to the person without putting the rescuer at risk.
Can you drown in a bathtub?
Yes, drowning can occur in very shallow water if the face is submerged and breathing is obstructed.
What is "dry drowning"?
"Dry drowning" is a misnomer for a delayed respiratory impairment after water inhalation, though this term is not medically recognized.
Can animals drown?
Yes, animals can also drown if they are unable to breathe due to being submerged in liquid.
Can wearing a life jacket prevent drowning?
Yes, life jackets can prevent drowning by keeping the wearer's head above water, even if they are unconscious.
Is it possible to drown in a liquid other than water?
Yes, drowning can occur in any liquid that prevents normal breathing.
Do all sinking objects reach the bottom of a water body?
Not necessarily; some may become suspended within the water column depending on their density and the water's depth.
How does water temperature affect drowning risks?
Cold water can lead to hypothermia, increasing the risk of drowning by impairing the body's ability to swim and float.
Is drowning quick?
The process can be quick or prolonged, depending on conditions and individual circumstances.
What is secondary drowning?
Secondary drowning, or nonfatal drowning, refers to complications that arise after a near-drowning incident, leading to breathing problems hours later.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
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.
