Sink vs. Sync — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Fiza Rafique — Updated on April 22, 2024
Sink primarily refers to a basin used for washing, whereas sync involves coordinating data across devices or systems.
Difference Between Sink and Sync
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A sink is a fixed basin with a water supply and a drain, used in kitchens and bathrooms for washing hands, dishes, and other tasks. In contrast, sync (short for synchronize) refers to the process of making information or data consistent across multiple systems or devices.
Sinks are essential in daily hygiene and cleaning activities, featuring designs that can vary widely from pedestals to vessels. On the other hand, sync is a term used in technology to describe the action of updating one set of data with another to maintain uniformity.
The functionality of sinks depends heavily on physical plumbing systems, whereas sync functions through software algorithms and internet connectivity to update and maintain data across different platforms.
Maintenance of a sink involves physical cleaning and occasionally dealing with plumbing issues, whereas maintaining synchronization often involves resolving software conflicts or ensuring compatible hardware.
The concept of a sink is static and unchanged over time, focusing on physical utility and water management. Meanwhile, the concept and methods of sync continue to evolve with advancements in technology, affecting how data is managed and accessed.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A basin used for washing
Process of data coordination
Primary Use
Hygiene and cleaning
Data consistency
Dependency
Plumbing systems
Software and internet
Maintenance
Cleaning, plumbing repairs
Software updates, conflict resolution
Evolution
Static, changes in design
Dynamic, changes with technology
Compare with Definitions
Sink
A basin installed in a kitchen or bathroom used for washing.
The kitchen sink was full of dirty dishes.
Sync
To synchronize, especially sound and video in production.
The film's dialogue did not sync with the actors' lips.
Sink
To descend or submerge in water or another medium.
The boat began to sink rapidly after hitting the iceberg.
Sync
To update one's data across devices or platforms.
Don't forget to sync your documents before you log off.
Sink
A pool or pit for receiving drainage or sewage.
They had to clean the sink regularly to avoid odors.
Sync
To make consistent or identical information across systems.
It's important to sync your phone contacts with your computer.
Sink
A place where substances are absorbed or accumulated.
The forest acts as a carbon sink, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Sync
To harmonize or bring into a common frame.
He had to sync his schedule with his manager's.
Sink
A drain or receptacle for carrying liquid away.
The plumber fixed the clog in the sink.
Sync
The state of being in agreement or simultaneous.
The team worked in perfect sync during the project.
Sink
A sink – also known by other names including sinker, washbowl, hand basin, wash basin, and simply basin – is a bowl-shaped plumbing fixture used for washing hands, dishwashing, and other purposes. Sinks have taps (faucets) that supply hot and cold water and may include a spray feature to be used for faster rinsing.
Sync
Synchronization
"an effect like that of stereo speakers slightly out of sync" (Time).
Sink
Go down below the surface of something, especially of a liquid; become submerged
He saw the coffin sink below the surface of the waves
Sync
Harmony; accord
In sync with today's fashions.
Sink
Descend from a higher to a lower position; drop downwards
You can relax on the veranda as the sun sinks low
Sync
To synchronize.
Sink
Gradually decrease or decline in value, amount, quality, or intensity
Their output sank to a third of the pre-war figure
Sync
Clipping of synchronization or synchrony
Sink
Insert beneath a surface
Rails fixed in place with screws sunk below the surface of the wood
Sync
Harmony.
Sink
Rapidly consume (an alcoholic drink)
English players sinking a few post-match lagers
Sync
(music) A music synchronization license, allowing the music to be synchronized with visual media such as films.
Sink
A fixed basin with a water supply and outflow pipe
A sink unit with cupboard and drawers under
I stood at the kitchen sink
Sync
(informal) To synchronize, especially in the senses of data synchronization, time synchronization, or synchronizing music with video.
Our cloud storage automatically syncs your files to all your devices.
Sink
A pool or marsh in which a river's water disappears by evaporation or percolation.
Sync
To flush all pending I/O operations to disk.
Sink
Short for sinkhole
Sync
Make synchronous and adjust in time or manner;
Let's synchronize our efforts
Sink
A place of vice or corruption
A sink of unnatural vice, pride, and luxury
Sink
To go below the surface of water or another liquid
We watched the leaky inner tube slowly sink.
Sink
To descend to the bottom of a body of water or other liquid
Found the wreck where it had sunk.
Sink
To fall or drop to a lower level, especially to go down slowly or in stages
The water in the lake sank several feet during the long, dry summer.
Sink
To subside or settle gradually
Cracks developed as the building sank.
Sink
To appear to move downward, as the sun or moon in setting.
Sink
To slope downward; incline
The road sinks as it approaches the stream.
Sink
To fall or lower oneself slowly, as from weakness or fatigue
The exhausted runner sank to the ground.
Sink
To feel great disappointment or discouragement
Her heart sank within her.
Sink
To pass into something; penetrate
The claws sank into the flesh of the prey.
Sink
To steep or soak
The wine has sunk into my shirt.
Sink
To pass into a specified condition
She sank into a deep sleep.
Sink
To deteriorate in quality or condition
The patient is sinking fast. The family sank into a state of disgrace.
Sink
To diminish, as in value
Gold prices are sinking.
Sink
To become weaker, quieter, or less forceful
His voice sank to a whisper.
Sink
To make an impression; become felt or understood
The meaning finally sank in.
Sink
To cause to descend beneath the surface or to the bottom of a liquid
Sink a ship.
Sink
To cause to penetrate deeply
He sank his sword into the dragon's belly.
Sink
To force into the ground
Sink a piling.
Sink
To dig or drill (a mine or well) in the earth.
Sink
To cause to drop or lower
Sank the bucket into the well.
Sink
(Sports) To propel (a ball or shot) into a hole, basket, or pocket.
Sink
To cause to be engrossed
"Frank sank himself in another book" (Patricia Highsmith).
Sink
To make weaker, quieter, or less forceful
She sank her voice when the manager walked by.
Sink
To reduce in quantity or worth
The bad news will sink markets around the world.
Sink
To debase the nature of; degrade
The scandal has sunk him in the eyes of many.
Sink
To bring to a low or ruined state; defeat or destroy
Loss of advertising sank the newspaper.
Sink
To suppress or hide
He sank his arrogance and apologized.
Sink
(Informal) To defeat, as in a game.
Sink
To invest or spend, often without getting a return or adequate value
I've sunk a lot of money into that car.
Sink
To pay off (a debt).
Sink
A water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe and generally a piped supply of water.
Sink
A cesspool.
Sink
A sinkhole.
Sink
A natural or artificial means of absorbing or removing a substance or a form of energy from a system.
Sink
A place regarded as wicked and corrupt
That city is a sink of corruption.
Sink
To move or be moved into something.
Sink
(ergative) To descend or submerge (or to cause to do so) into a liquid or similar substance.
A stone sinks in water.
The sun gradually sank in the west.
Sink
(transitive) To (directly or indirectly) cause a vessel to sink, generally by making it no longer watertight.
An iceberg sank the Titanic.
British battleships sank the Bismarck.
Sink
(transitive) To push (something) into something.
The joint will hold tighter if you sink a wood screw through both boards.
The dog sank its teeth into the delivery man's leg.
Sink
(transitive) To make by digging or delving.
To sink a well in the ground
Sink
To pot; hit a ball into a pocket or hole.
Sink
To diminish or be diminished.
Sink
To experience apprehension, disappointment, dread, or momentary depression.
Sink
To cause to decline; to depress or degrade.
To sink one's reputation
Sink
(intransitive) To demean or lower oneself; to do something below one's status, standards, or morals.
Sink
To conceal and appropriate.
Sink
To keep out of sight; to suppress; to ignore.
Sink
To drink (especially something alcoholic).
Sink
To pay absolutely.
I have sunk thousands of pounds into this project.
Sink
To reduce or extinguish by payment.
To sink the national debt
Sink
(intransitive) To be overwhelmed or depressed; to fail in strength.
Sink
To die.
Sink
(intransitive) To decrease in volume, as a river; to subside; to become diminished in volume or in apparent height.
Sink
A basin used for holding water for washing.
Sink
A drain for carrying off wastewater.
Sink
(geology) A sinkhole.
Sink
A depression in land where water collects, with no visible outlet.
Sink
A heat sink.
Sink
A place that absorbs resources or energy.
Sink
(ecology) A habitat that cannot support a population on its own but receives the excess of individuals from some other source.
Sink
(uncountable) Descending motion; descent.
An excessive sink rate at touchdown can cause the aircraft's landing gear to collapse.
Sink
(baseball) The motion of a sinker pitch.
Jones has a two-seamer with heavy sink.
Sink
An object or callback that captures events; an event sink.
Sink
(graph theory) A destination vertex in a transportation network.
Sink
An abode of degraded persons; a wretched place.
Sink
A depression in a stereotype plate.
Sink
(theater) A stage trapdoor for shifting scenery.
Sink
(mining) An excavation smaller than a shaft.
Sink
(game development) One or several systems that remove currency from the game's economy, thus controlling or preventing inflation.
Sink
To fall by, or as by, the force of gravity; to descend lower and lower; to decline gradually; to subside; as, a stone sinks in water; waves rise and sink; the sun sinks in the west.
I sink in deep mire.
Sink
To enter deeply; to fall or retire beneath or below the surface; to penetrate.
The stone sunk into his forehead.
Sink
Hence, to enter so as to make an abiding impression; to enter completely.
Let these sayings sink down into your ears.
Sink
To be overwhelmed or depressed; to fall slowly, as so the ground, from weakness or from an overburden; to fail in strength; to decline; to decay; to decrease.
I think our country sinks beneath the yoke.
He sunk down in his chariot.
Let not the fire sink or slacken.
Sink
To decrease in volume, as a river; to subside; to become diminished in volume or in apparent height.
The Alps and Pyreneans sink before him.
Sink
To cause to sink; to put under water; to immerse or submerge in a fluid; as, to sink a ship.
[The Athenians] fell upon the wings and sank a single ship.
Sink
Figuratively: To cause to decline; to depress; to degrade; hence, to ruin irretrievably; to destroy, as by drowping; as, to sink one's reputation.
I raise of sink, imprison or set free.
If I have a conscience, let it sink me.
Thy cruel and unnatural lust of powerHas sunk thy father more than all his years.
Sink
To make (a depression) by digging, delving, or cutting, etc.; as, to sink a pit or a well; to sink a die.
Sink
To bring low; to reduce in quantity; to waste.
You sunk the river repeated draughts.
Sink
To conseal and appropriate.
If sent with ready money to buy anything, and you happen to be out of pocket, sink the money, and take up the goods on account.
Sink
To keep out of sight; to suppress; to ignore.
A courtly willingness to sink obnoxious truths.
Sink
To reduce or extinguish by payment; as, to sink the national debt.
Sink
A drain to carry off filthy water; a jakes.
Sink
A shallow box or vessel of wood, stone, iron, or other material, connected with a drain, and used for receiving filthy water, etc., as in a kitchen.
Sink
A hole or low place in land or rock, where waters sink and are lost; - called also sink hole.
Sink
The lowest part of a natural hollow or closed basin whence the water of one or more streams escapes by evaporation; as, the sink of the Humboldt River.
Sink
Plumbing fixture consisting of a water basin fixed to a wall or floor and having a drainpipe
Sink
(technology) a process that acts to absorb or remove energy or a substance from a system;
The ocean is a sink for carbon dioxide
Sink
A depression in the ground communicating with a subterranean passage (especially in limestone) and formed by solution or by collapse of a cavern roof
Sink
A covered cistern; waste water and sewage flow into it
Sink
Fall or drop to a lower place or level;
He sank to his knees
Sink
Cause to sink;
The Japanese sank American ships in Pearl Harbor
Sink
Pass into a specified state or condition;
He sank into Nirvana
Sink
Go under,
The raft sank and its occupants drowned
Sink
Descend into or as if into some soft substance or place;
He sank into bed
She subsided into the chair
Sink
Appear to move downward;
The sun dipped below the horizon
The setting sun sank below the tree line
Sink
Fall heavily or suddenly; decline markedly;
The real estate market fell off
Sink
Fall or sink heavily;
He slumped onto the couch
My spirits sank
Sink
Embed deeply;
She sank her fingers into the soft sand
He buried his head in her lap
Common Curiosities
How often should data synchronization occur?
The frequency of data synchronization depends on the user's needs; it can range from continuously (real-time) to daily, weekly, or as needed.
How do you unclog a sink?
Unclogging a sink typically involves using a plunger, chemical drain cleaner, or a plumber's snake to remove blockages.
What materials are commonly used to make sinks?
Sinks are commonly made from stainless steel, porcelain, ceramic, and sometimes composite materials like granite.
What tools are essential for syncing data across devices?
Essential tools include synchronization software, cloud storage services, and sometimes specific apps depending on the platform and type of data.
How does sink installation differ from maintenance?
Installation of a sink involves setting up the basin, faucets, and plumbing connections initially, whereas maintenance involves ongoing cleaning and repairs.
Is it possible to recover data if sync fails?
Recovery is possible if there are backups; otherwise, data lost during a failed sync might be irretrievable.
Can all types of sinks be repaired the same way?
Repair methods can vary depending on the type of sink and material; however, common issues like leaks and clogs are generally repaired in similar ways.
What are the benefits of syncing your calendar across devices?
Benefits include having a unified schedule accessible from any device, reminders for appointments, and reduced chances of double booking.
What are the risks of not syncing devices regularly?
Not syncing regularly can lead to data loss, outdated information, or inconsistencies across devices.
What should you avoid putting in sinks to prevent clogs?
Avoid disposing of grease, coffee grounds, large food particles, and non-biodegradable materials in sinks.
What are the signs that a sink might need to be replaced rather than repaired?
Signs include persistent leaks, extensive damage to the surface, or outdated hardware that is no longer functional or efficient.
How do sync errors commonly occur?
Sync errors often occur due to network issues, software glitches, or incompatible file formats.
What are some environmental considerations with sink usage?
Environmental considerations include water conservation, proper disposal of hazardous chemicals, and using environmentally friendly cleaning products.
What are the security concerns with syncing data across devices?
Security concerns include the risk of unauthorized access, data breaches, and the need for strong encryption and secure authentication methods.
Can syncing be automated, and how?
Yes, syncing can be automated using scheduling features in synchronization software or setting up automatic triggers in cloud services.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
