Idiom: sink or swim
Meaning
Idiom: sink or swim
- to succeed or fail by your own efforts
Note: This is often used to say that although somebody may succeed or fail, they will still try to do something with determination.
Example sentences
— Sometimes it's heartbreaking but I find it's best to let my children sink or swim in most things in life.
— People often find out just how strong they are when they're forced to sink or swim.
— On the first day, before any training, we give the interns a project to complete to see if they will sink or swim. Most fail, but we are more interested in their attitude during the process.
— It's better to try something and sink or swim then to wait around worrying about what will happen.
— Personally, I'd rather sink or swim than do nothing at all.
— I've been training for a marathon for the past six months and the time has finally come to sink or swim.
— We persuaded our son to enter a tennis tournament and just let himself sink or swim. Well, he sunk but he also said losing wasn't so bad and he would try again.
— I'll be traveling all by myself in China for two weeks so I will either sink or swim.
Synonyms
- do or die
- crunch time
- moment of truth
- point of no return
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