Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "sunken" []

  • Obsolete A past participle of sink. (verb)
  • Depressed, fallen in, or hollowed: sunken cheeks. (adjective)
  • Situated beneath the surface of the water or ground; submerged: a sunken reef. (adjective)
  • Below a surrounding level: a sunken meadow. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "sunken" in a sentence
  • "That burgeoning interest in sunken treasure has an upside: a steady stream of discoveries."
  • "You head for the backs of reservoir tributary arms, anchor, and drown minnows in sunken brushpiles, waiting for finicky spawning crappies to bite — all the while rubbing bows with scores of other anglers doing the same thing."
  • "You may be aware of the recent civil war in sunken R'lyeh."