Phrase guide

sink or swim

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To succeed through one's own efforts without support, or else fail completely.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Possibly from the practice of throwing a suspected witch into water.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: erop of eronder — to fail or succeed, on a project attempted
  • Finnish: mennä syteen tai saveen — to fail or succeed, on a project attempted
  • French: marche ou crève — to fail or succeed, on a project attempted
  • Polish: wóz albo przewóz — to fail or succeed, on a project attempted
  • Russian: па́н и́ли пропа́л (pán íli propál) — to fail or succeed, on a project attempted
  • Swedish: bära eller brista — to fail or succeed, on a project attempted
  • Vietnamese: được ăn cả, ngã về không — to fail or succeed, on a project attempted