sink or swim
English
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
sink or swim
Where it comes from
Possibly from the practice of throwing a suspected witch into water.
verb sinks or swims · sinking or swimming · sank or swam · sunk or swum
- To succeed through one's own efforts without support, or else fail completely. "No matter, we are going, live or die, sink or swim; and I shall expect to meet you, all booted and spurred and fit for the fight, April first," said the unwavering Amanda.
Translations
Every language
verb to fail or succeed, on a project attempted
| Français | marche ou crève |
|---|---|
| Русский | па́н и́ли пропа́л pán íli propál |
| Tiếng Việt | được ăn cả, ngã về không |
Talk about this word "sink or swim." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sink%20or%20swim. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. sink or swim. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sink%20or%20swim "sink or swim." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sink%20or%20swim.Cite this
@misc{sink_or_swim_2026,
title = {sink or swim},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sink%20or%20swim},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
