# The past tense of "sink" **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672 **Category:** In My Humble Opinion **Created:** [December 19, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672 "2010-12-19T02:57:59Z") **Posts on this page:** 16 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/1 "2010-12-19T02:57:59Z")
What is the past tense of “sink”? Not the past participle, just the plain ole past tense. I say “sank.” (poll to come) ---
### Author: ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/2 "2010-12-19T02:59:49Z")
I fired a torpedo and the ship sank. I fired a torpedo and the ship was sunk. ---
### Author: ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/3 "2010-12-19T03:36:56Z")
You sunk my battleship! ---
### Author: ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/4 "2010-12-19T03:39:10Z")
Skunk. ---
### Author: ![QuercusMax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/8baadc/32.png) [@QuercusMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuercusMax) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/5 "2010-12-19T03:44:39Z")
Sank is past tense. Sunk is the past participle (i.e. you can use it as an adjective) ---
### Author: ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/6 "2010-12-19T03:45:19Z")
Sinked ---
### Author: ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/7 "2010-12-19T03:46:28Z")
I sink I sank I had sunk ---
### Author: ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/8 "2010-12-19T11:37:28Z")
Submerged. ---
### Author: ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/9 "2010-12-19T12:31:58Z")
Basin. ---
### Author: ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/10 "2010-12-19T13:25:03Z")
Stainless steel sinks Stainless steel sank yesterday Stainless steel has always sunk Look! Sunken stainless steel! ---
### Author: ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/11 "2010-12-19T15:14:36Z")
[Boris Karloff] The three conjugations of the word are, and I quote: sink, sank, suuuunk! [/Boris Karloff] ---
### Author: ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/12 "2010-12-19T21:32:49Z")
His boat sunk yesterday. ---
### Author: ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/13 "2010-12-19T21:42:33Z")
Active or passive voice? Sank and sunk, respectively. ---
### Author: ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/14 "2010-12-19T22:36:07Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > [Boris Karloff] > The three conjugations of the word are, and I quote: sink, sank, suuuunk! > [/Boris Karloff] [Thurl Ravenscroft] The three conjugations are as follows, and I quote: sink, sank, suuunk! [/Thurl Ravenscroft] Karloff did the narration, Ravenscroft the song. ---
### Author: ![Manwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Manwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manwich) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/15 "2010-12-19T22:51:54Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Active or passive voice? Sank and sunk, respectively. Passive voice uses the past participle, doesn’t it? So for the past tense it’s always “sank” for you, I guess. ---
### Author: ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk) #### Post date: [December 19, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-past-tense-of-sink/564672/16 "2010-12-19T23:47:46Z")
The Titanic sinks/is sinking. The Titanic sank. The Titanic has/had sunk. Swam vs. swum is the one that always gets me. He swam to shore? He had swum there yesterday? Is that right?