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sink

sink

12 7.9
A place or system that absorbs and stores substances like carbon
  • noun
  • /sɪŋk/
  • Specialized
: sumidero (ecología/medio ambiente)
  • Thus, like Lake Bonney, Lake Hoare appears to serve as a net sink for organic carbon.
  • carbon sink
  • source and sink
  • heat sink

Well, be very careful about the the time sink of it.

Examples

  • Protecting forests will ensure that the region's largest CO2 sink does not become a source of emissions.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Second, the tropical forest is an important sink or repository for carbon dioxide.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Well, your muscles are the biggest sink for fuel.

  • As an international commons, the North Sea functions as a sink for effluents from many nations.

    Academic text (1996)
  • However, only the final, long-term sink for nitrogen is in soils.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Conversely, the forest is a net C sink during the growing season, when ecosystem photosynthesis exceeds respiration.

    Academic text (2008)
  • On the other hand, because dry soils are methane sinks, desertification might reduce the gas's atmospheric concentration.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Engineers often specify air-cooled heat sinks or liquid-cooled cold plates to stabilize high-flux chips thermally.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The forest acts as a natural sink by absorbing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

  • Wetlands serve as an important sink for pollutants, helping to clean the water before it flows into rivers.

Synonyms

absorption
vssink
  • Specialized
21 4.6

A material takes in energy or a substance from another material

includes that process but also means places or systems that remove or store
heat sink
vssink
  • Specialized
3 4.5

A metal part that takes heat away from electronic parts so they do not get too hot

is broader, covering any process, place, or reservoir that removes energy or substances

Antonyms

∞ 2.6

A place or thing where something comes from

Idioms

4 6.7

Fall or fail very quickly and completely

A way to say there are almost all things you can think of

2 7.7

A warning that careless talk can cause trouble by revealing secrets

Almost everything possible is present, even things you do not need

1 8.2

To get stuck in a problem that keeps getting worse and is hard to leave

To fail very quickly and completely with no chance to get better

Compounds

25 1.0

A large basin with a tap in a kitchen used for washing dishes

kitchen sink
  • Informal
9 4.2

A very large number of things, often including items that are not needed

heat sink
  • Specialized
3 4.5

A metal part that takes heat away from electronic parts so they do not get too hot

1 2.5

A small stopper that blocks a sink drain so water stays in the basin

A software bug that affects many parts after a code change

Surface Forms

sink singular
sinks plural

Etymology

Sink comes from the Old English word sincan meaning 'to go down'. In science a sink is something that 'takes in' or holds a substance or energy (think of a heat sink or a 'carbon sink'), because it makes those things go 'down' out of the system.