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Glite Dictionary
🕳️ A cone-shaped hole 🛠️ A special drill 🔩 To set below surface
countersink

countersink

8.4
A drill bit with a cone tip that makes the top of a hole bigger for a screw head
  • noun
  • /ˈkaʊntərˌsɪŋk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : broca avellanadora
  • The carpenter used a countersink bit to ensure the screws would sit flush with the wooden surface.
  • countersink bit

Examples

  • For a clean finish, it's essential to use a countersink when installing screws in fine furniture.

  • This is called a countersink bit straight to the wood.

  • I marked the place for a few screws and use the countersink bit to create room for the screw heads to fall into place and become flush to the plywood surface.

  • You can find a countersink that matches your drill, which will help create a proper recess for the screw heads.

Synonyms

countersink bit
vscountersink
  • Specialized
8.6

A drill bit that makes the top of a hole wider so a screw head sits flat with the surface

is the broader name for either a simple hand tool or a machine attachment

Compounds

countersink bit
  • Specialized
8.6

A drill bit that makes the top of a hole wider so a screw head sits flat with the surface

Surface Forms

countersink singular
countersinks plural

Morphology

countersink = sink (semi-transparent) = counter + sink

The form clearly combines 'counter-' and 'sink', but the tool sense is a specialized technical extension rather than a fully obvious everyday meaning.

Etymology

Countersink for the tool uses the same parts counter- 'against' and sink 'to go down'. Think of the tool as the drill bit that makes the screw head 'sink' into the material so it sits level with the surface.