Meaning & use
sinkhole
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A hole in the ground formed when the surface collapses into an empty space below.
Grammar: Countable: one sinkhole, two sinkholes.
Patterns
- a sinkhole opens
- a sinkhole forms
- fall into a sinkhole
Heavy rain caused a sinkhole to open in the middle of the road.
The sinkhole swallowed two cars parked near the building.
Geologists warned that more sinkholes could appear in the area.
nouncountablefigurative
A situation or place that seems to pull people or things down into failure or destruction.
Grammar: Often used figuratively with 'into' or 'of'.
Patterns
- a sinkhole of something
- fall into a sinkhole
The project became a sinkhole of money and time.
Without reform, the agency turned into a sinkhole of corruption.
Word forms
| plural | sinkholes |
|---|
Common combinations
- a sinkhole opens up
- A sinkhole opened up after the earthquake.
- a sinkhole forms
- Sinkholes form when underground water dissolves rock.
- fall into a sinkhole
- The driver nearly fell into a sinkhole on the highway.
- a giant sinkhole
- A giant sinkhole appeared in the farmer's field.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- sink verb
- To go down below the surface, often used for ground or objects.
Commonly confused: sinkhole or sink hole?
sinkhole vs sink hole
Sometimes written as two words, but the standard spelling is one word: 'sinkhole'.
Practice
After weeks of heavy rain, a large ______ appeared in the parking lot.
Choose one answer.
The correct noun for a collapsed hole in the ground is 'sinkhole' (one word). 'Sink hole' is a common misspelling, and 'sinking' or 'sink' do not fit the sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sinkhole”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.