Adjacent Words

sinkhole definitions

	Tweet

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a depression in the ground communicating with a subterranean passage (especially in limestone) and formed by solution or by collapse of a cavern roof [syn: sinkhole, sink, swallow hole]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 15th century 1. a hollow place or depression in which drainage collects 2. a hollow in a limestone region that communicates with a cavern or passage 3. sink 2 4. something (as an unprofitable investment) that steadily drains money or resources <a financial sinkhole>

Britannica Concise

Depression formed as underlying limestone bedrock is dissolved by groundwater. Sinkholes vary greatly in area and depth and may be very large. The two main varieties are those caused by the collapse of a cavern roof, and those caused by the gradual dissolving of rock under a soil mantle. Collapsed sinkholes generally have steep rock sides and may receive streams that then flow underground. Soil-mantled sinkholes are generally shallower; they may become clogged with clay and hold a small lake.