sinkhole
/ˈsɪŋkhəʊl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsɪŋkhəʊl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsiŋk-ˌhōl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈsɪŋk.həʊl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsɪŋk.hoʊl/ (ame, ipa)
sinkhole — noun
- sinkholesingular
- sinkholesplural
1. a large natural hollow in the earth's surface that forms when water wears away s
a large natural hollow in the earth's surface that forms when water wears away soft rock such as limestone beneath the ground, causing the surface above to fall inward.
The geologist discovered a sinkhole in the limestone valley east of the village.
collocation: discover a sinkhole / form in limestone
Rainwater slowly dissolved the limestone bedrock and created a deep sinkhole over thousands of years.
process: rainwater + limestone → sinkhole
Hiking guides marked the sinkhole on the map so visitors would not fall in.
Heavy spring rains washed away the underground rock, opening a sinkhole in the forest floor.
A sinkhole swallowed several hectares of grazing land on the farmer's pasture.
- cave-in
more general; can describe any structure that falls inward, not just geological formations
- swallow hole
technical term for a sinkhole that drains surface water underground; used mainly in geography
- doline
the precise scientific term used by geologists for this type of depression
用法筆記
Describes a slow, natural process over a long period. Distinguish from sense 2, which describes a sudden, man-made collapse.
常見錯誤
2. an opening that forms without warning as the surface layer collapses because the
an opening that forms without warning as the surface layer collapses because the soil or support material beneath has given way, often after heavy rain or construction work.
A huge sinkhole opened in the main road after the underground pipe burst.
cause: burst pipe / underground collapse
The family evacuated their home when a sinkhole swallowed their driveway overnight.
Rescue workers pulled a man from a sinkhole that had opened beneath his car.
The city council closed the street after a sinkhole damaged several parked cars.
Engineers filled the sinkhole with concrete and gravel to make the road safe again.
- collapse
a broader term; a sinkhole is a specific type of collapse in the ground
- subsidence
a gradual sinking, whereas a sinkhole is a sudden hole; used in engineering contexts
- cave-in
similar but can refer to tunnels or mines as well as open ground
用法筆記
Often used in news reports about infrastructure damage. The subject is typically a road, building, or parking lot. Can happen quickly with little warning.
常見錯誤
3. a server or network segment configured to receive and collect harmful internet t
a server or network segment configured to receive and collect harmful internet traffic, preventing that traffic from reaching its intended target such as a company's main database.
The security team configured a sinkhole to redirect harmful traffic away from the office network.
mechanism: redirect [harmful traffic] away from [target network]
All suspicious data was sinkholed for analysis instead of reaching the company's main servers.
passive: was sinkholed + purpose: instead of reaching [target]
The IT department created a sinkhole server that traps malware traffic before it hits the office network.
A network sinkhole prevented the virus from reaching the company's main database server.
The data center manager reviewed the logs from the sinkhole to understand the attack pattern.
- black hole
a standard networking term for a place where traffic is silently dropped; very close in meaning
- honeypot
a system set up to attract attackers so they can be studied; a honeypot is more interactive than a sinkhole
- darknet
a larger network segment used for monitoring unwanted traffic; broader than a single sinkhole server
用法筆記
A technical term in cybersecurity. Unlike sinkhole senses 1 and 2 (physical holes in the ground), this refers to a logical or virtual location on a network. Not used in everyday conversation.
sinkhole — verb
- sinkholepresent simple I / you / we / they
- sinkholes3rd person singular
- sinkholing-ing form
- sinkholedpast simple
1. to reroute harmful internet activity toward a different server or network sectio
to reroute harmful internet activity toward a different server or network section, so that the activity is blocked from reaching its intended target and can be inspected or discarded safely.
The security software sinkholed the malicious requests, sending them away from the main server.
transitive + participial: sinkholed [requests], sending [them] away from [target]
All traffic from the infected machine was sinkholed and kept away from the company network.
passive coordinated: was sinkholed and kept away from [target]
Network engineers sinkholed the attack traffic by redirecting it to a secure server for inspection.
A new firewall can automatically sinkhole dangerous files, redirecting them to a safe server.
Suspicious data packets were sinkholed and sent to a secure location away from the network.
- block
more general and less technical; block simply prevents passage without the redirection aspect
- redirect
a neutral term; a sinkhole redirects with the specific purpose of neutralizing threats
- quarantine
used in antivirus contexts; similar idea of isolating threats but not specific to traffic routing
文法句型
sinkhole + direct object (traffic/data/requests)
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively in cybersecurity and network administration. The object is typically an abstract noun referring to data traffic (requests, traffic, packets, activity). Frequently occurs in passive constructions.