sinkhole
Noun: 1. A natural depression or hole in the ground formed by the collapse of the surface layer into an underground cavity, often in limestone bedrock. This is the primary geological definition. 2. A place or situation where something, such as money or resources, is lost or disappears rapidly and without trace. This is a figurative extension of the main meaning.
The word "sinkhole" is used to describe a specific geological feature. It is a count noun (e.g., a sinkhole, several sinkholes).
Examples: * The heavy rains caused a large sinkhole to open up in the middle of the road. * This region of Florida is known for its frequent sinkholes due to the porous limestone beneath the surface. * (Figurative) The failed project became a financial sinkhole, consuming all of the company's investment.
- "To swallow something like a sinkhole": This phrase emphasizes something being consumed completely and suddenly.
- The economic crisis swallowed their savings like a sinkhole.
- Sink (verb): The action from which the feature gets its name, meaning to descend or cause to descend below the surface.
- Cenote (noun): A specific type of sinkhole, particularly one filled with water, commonly found in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.
- Swallet (noun): A term used in some regions, especially the UK, for a sinkhole or a place where a stream disappears underground.
- Doline (noun): A technical synonym used in geology and geomorphology.
- Geological Context: swallow hole, doline, swallet, cenote (if water-filled).
- Figurative Context: money pit, black hole, drain.
- "A sinkhole for money/time/resources": A common figurative construction to describe something that consumes these things wastefully.
- The old mansion was a beautiful sinkhole for money, requiring constant, expensive repairs.
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a depression in the ground communicating with a subterranean passage (especially in limestone) and formed by solution or by collapse of a cavern roof
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