Sink vs. Washbasin — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on October 30, 2023
A sink is a bowl-shaped fixture used for washing, while a washbasin is specifically a bathroom sink for washing hands and face.
Difference Between Sink and Washbasin
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Sinks are found in kitchens and bathrooms, while washbasins are usually in bathrooms.
Sinks can be used for various tasks, while washbasins are mainly for personal hygiene.
Sinks come in many forms, including utility and kitchen types. Washbasins are typically part of bathroom vanities.
A sink may have garbage disposals, whereas washbasins do not.
Sinks are essential in food preparation areas. Washbasins are more for washing hands and face.
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Comparison Chart
Usage
Washing dishes, food preparation, general use.
Specifically for personal hygiene, hand washing.
Location
Kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms.
Primarily bathrooms.
Features
May have garbage disposals, larger basins.
Typically smaller, part of a bathroom vanity.
Purpose
Versatile for various washing needs.
Mainly for washing hands and face.
Design
Varied, includes large basins for heavy use.
Generally smaller and designed for bathrooms.
Compare with Definitions
Sink
A plumbing fixture for water disposal.
The sink is leaking.
Washbasin
A bathroom basin for handwashing.
The washbasin is made of marble.
Sink
A basin used in kitchens and bathrooms.
Install the new sink in the kitchen.
Washbasin
A basin typically found in restrooms.
The hotel room has a separate washbasin area.
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.
Washbasin
A fixture for face and hand washing.
Clean the washbasin regularly.
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
Washbasin
A sink in a bathroom for personal hygiene.
The washbasin is next to the toilet.
Sink
Descend from a higher to a lower position; drop downwards
You can relax on the veranda as the sun sinks low
Washbasin
A small sink for washing up.
The washbasin has a matching faucet.
Sink
Gradually decrease or decline in value, amount, quality, or intensity
Their output sank to a third of the pre-war figure
Washbasin
See washbowl.
Sink
Insert beneath a surface
Rails fixed in place with screws sunk below the surface of the wood
Washbasin
A basin used for washing, particularly a permanently installed sink, fitted with a water supply and a drain, for washing the hands and face.
Sink
Rapidly consume (an alcoholic drink)
English players sinking a few post-match lagers
Washbasin
A bathroom or lavatory sink that is permanently installed and connected to a water supply and drainpipe; where you wash your hands and face;
He ran some water in the basin and splashed it on his face
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
Washbasin
A basin for washing the hands (`wash-hand basin' is a British expression)
Sink
A pool or marsh in which a river's water disappears by evaporation or percolation.
Sink
Short for sinkhole
Sink
A place of vice or corruption
A sink of unnatural vice, pride, and luxury
Sink
To go below the surface of water or another liquid
We watched the leaky inner tube slowly sink.
Sink
To descend to the bottom of a body of water or other liquid
Found the wreck where it had sunk.
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.
Sink
To subside or settle gradually
Cracks developed as the building sank.
Sink
To appear to move downward, as the sun or moon in setting.
Sink
To slope downward; incline
The road sinks as it approaches the stream.
Sink
To fall or lower oneself slowly, as from weakness or fatigue
The exhausted runner sank to the ground.
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
Sink
A bowl-shaped fixture for washing.
The kitchen sink is full of dishes.
Sink
A basin with a drain for various uses.
Rinse the vegetables in the sink.
Sink
A receptacle for water in a domestic setting.
The cat drinks water from the sink.
Common Curiosities
Do sinks always have taps?
Yes, sinks typically have faucets for water flow.
Are washbasins only for bathrooms?
Typically, yes, they are designed for bathroom use.
Can sinks be made of different materials?
Yes, sinks can be made of stainless steel, ceramic, and more.
Is a washbasin suitable for kitchen use?
No, it's generally not designed for kitchen tasks.
Can a sink be used for laundry?
Yes, utility sinks are often used for laundry.
Are all washbasins small in size?
Most are smaller than kitchen sinks but sizes can vary.
Can sinks be used for bathing pets?
Larger utility sinks can be used for small pets.
Is installation of a washbasin different from a sink?
Installation can vary, but both involve plumbing.
Can a washbasin have storage?
Yes, many are part of vanities with storage underneath.
Do all sinks have drains?
Yes, a drain is essential for a sink's functionality.
Is a garbage disposal common in sinks?
It's common in kitchen sinks but not in washbasins.
Can washbasins be decorative?
Yes, they can be designed for aesthetic appeal.
Are sinks only for indoor use?
No, there are outdoor sinks for gardening and barbecues.
Can a sink be a focal point in kitchen design?
Yes, sinks can be stylish and central to kitchen design.
Are washbasins easy to clean?
Yes, they are generally easy to maintain.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
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.
