to sink like a stone
2
6.7
- idiom
- Informal
:
hundir como una piedra
- The once-popular online game began to sink like a stone after major technical issues arose.
- just sank like a stone
- then sank like a stone
Examples
-
That's why Nokia is now sinking like a stone.
Blog text (19) -
For the past five years, Pearl Cove's balance sheets had been sinking like a stone in still water.
Fiction book (2000) -
Your brand name will sink like a stone.
Fiction book (1998) -
And it sank like a stone.
Fiction book (2000) -
Even if she managed to bring herself down for a gentle landing, once she hit the lake, she was going to sink like a stone.
Fiction book (2002) -
A giant wave took him under, and he sank like a stone down into the depths of the ocean.
Fiction book (2002) -
The fish bounced off the next wave and sank like a stone.
Academic text (1997) -
"Larissa was a good swimmer, but she sank like a stone the moment she hit the water.
Fiction book (1992) -
Without proper guidance, the project could sink like a stone, leaving everyone disappointed.
-
If you don't pay attention to your finances, your savings might sink like a stone.
Synonyms
358
1.0
To move down physically or emotionally, often when tired
93
5.8
Fall suddenly and steeply from a high place or in amount
84
3.8
To sink into water, like a boat that hits something
83
3.8
To fall or drop suddenly from a higher to a lower place
28
4.4
To fall suddenly in price or value
22
3.7
Suddenly fall inward because its sides or top become weak, for example a tunnel
15
4.4
Sink below the water and become covered by it
13
3.9
To fall quickly to a much lower level
4
4.2
To fall or flow quickly in large amounts like a waterfall
4
5.8
To fall quickly and steeply, like a plane or stocks
2
6.7
Move quickly and without control down a hill or road
1
8.2
Suddenly become much worse or fail after being stable
To fail very quickly and completely with no chance to get better
To go down very steeply and quickly, often for a plane or submarine
To fall suddenly to a much lower level
Antonyms
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to fall or fail very quickly with no resistance' is directly derivable from combining 'sink' with the simile 'like a stone' — stones sink rapidly, so the comparison transparently signals quick descent or collapse. This is a straightforward compositional simile found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The idiom sink like a stone comes from the simple image of dropping a heavy stone into water: the verb sink and the noun stone make a picture of something falling straight down very fast without floating. So, the phrase now means 'to fail' or 'to disappear very quickly'.