sin|glet /s I ŋglət/ (singlets )
1 N‑COUNT A singlet is a sleeveless sports shirt worn by athletes and boxers. [BRIT ] □ …a grubby running singlet.
2 N‑COUNT A singlet is a plain sleeveless piece of underwear which is worn on the upper half of the body. [BRIT ] □ He was wearing a blue silk singlet and boxer shorts.
sin|gle|ton /s I ŋg ə ltən/ (singletons ) N‑COUNT A singleton is someone who is neither married nor in a long-term relationship. □ Bank is a 38-year-old singleton who grew up in Philadelphia.
sin|gly /s I ŋgli/ ADV [ADV with v] If people do something singly , they each do it on their own, or do it one by one. □ They marched out singly or in pairs.
si ng-song (sing-songs ) also singsong
1 ADJ [ADJ n] A sing-song voice repeatedly rises and falls in pitch. □ He started to speak in a nasal sing-song voice.
2 N‑COUNT A sing-song is an occasion on which a group of people sing songs together for pleasure. [BRIT ]
sin|gu|lar /s I ŋgjʊlə r /
1 ADJ The singular form of a word is the form that is used when referring to one person or thing. □ …the fifteen case endings of the singular form of the Finnish noun. □ The word 'you' can be singular or plural.
2 N‑SING The singular of a noun is the form of it that is used to refer to one person or thing. □ [+ of ] The singular of Inuit is Inuk.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] Singular means very great and remarkable. [FORMAL ] □ …a smile of singular sweetness. ● sin|gu|lar|ly ADV [ADV adj/adv] □ It seemed a singularly ill-judged enterprise for him to undertake.
4 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe someone or something as singular , you mean that they are strange or unusual. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □ Cardinal Meschia was without doubt a singular character. □ Where he got that singular notion I just can't think. ● sin|gu|lar|ity /s I ŋgjʊlæ r I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …his abrupt, turbulent style and the singularity of his appearance.
si n|gu|lar nou n (singular nouns ) N‑COUNT A singular noun is a noun such as 'standstill' or 'vicinity' that does not have a plural form and always has a determiner such as 'a' or 'the' in front of it.
sin|is|ter /s I n I stə r / ADJ Something that is sinister seems evil or harmful. □ There was something sinister about him that she found disturbing. WORD HISTORY sinister
In Latin sinister means 'left' or 'on the left-hand side'. The word came to have its 'sinister' meaning because the left side was considered unlucky.
sink ◆◇◇ /s I ŋk/ (sinks , sinking , sank , sunk )
1 N‑COUNT A sink is a large fixed container in a kitchen, with taps to supply water. It is mainly used for washing dishes. □ The sink was full of dirty dishes. □ …the kitchen sink.
2 N‑COUNT A sink is the same as a washbasin or basin . □ The bathroom is furnished with 2 toilets, 2 showers, and 2 sinks.
3 VERB If a boat sinks or if someone or something sinks it, it disappears below the surface of a mass of water. □ [V n] In a naval battle your aim is to sink the enemy's ship. □ [V ] The boat was beginning to sink fast. □ [V -ing] The lifeboat crashed against the side of the sinking ship. ● sink|ing (sinkings ) N‑COUNT □ [+ of ] …the sinking of the Titanic.
4 VERB If something sinks , it disappears below the surface of a mass of water. □ [V ] A fresh egg will sink and an old egg will float.
5 VERB If something sinks , it moves slowly downwards. □ [V ] Far off to the west the sun was sinking.
6 VERB If something sinks to a lower level or standard, it falls to that level or standard. □ [V ] Share prices would have sunk–hurting small and big investors. □ [V + to/from/by ] Pay increases have sunk to around seven per cent. □ [V amount] The pound sank by nearly one per cent against the US dollar.
7 ADJ [ADJ n] People use sink school or sink estate to refer to a school or housing estate that is in a very poor area with few resources. [BRIT , JOURNALISM ] □ …unemployed teenagers from sink estates.
8 VERB If your heart or your spirits sink , you become depressed or lose hope. □ [V ] My heart sank because I thought he was going to dump me for another girl.
9 VERB If something sharp sinks or is sunk into something solid, it goes deeply into it. □ [V n + into ] I sank my teeth into a peppermint cream. □ [V + into ] The spade sank into a clump of overgrown bushes.
10 VERB If someone sinks a well, mine, or other large hole, they make a deep hole in the ground, usually by digging or drilling. □ [V n] …the site where Stephenson sank his first mineshaft.
11 VERB If you sink money into a business or project, you spend money on it in the hope of making more money. □ [V n + into ] He has already sunk $25million into the project.
12 → see also sinking , sunk
13 PHRASE If you say that someone will have to sink or swim , you mean that they will have to succeed through their own efforts, or fail. □ The government doesn't want to force inefficient firms to sink or swim too quickly.