sink or swim

idiom
UK: /ˌsɪŋk ɔːr ˈswɪm/
US: /ˌsɪŋk ɔːr ˈswɪm/

  1. A situation where you must succeed by your own efforts or fail completely.

    1. It was sink or swim for the new recruits; no one offered help.
    2. The company's new strategy was sink or swim, with high risks and rewards for all.
sink or swim verb

  1. To fail or succeed, depending on your own abilities and effort.

    1. The new employees were left to sink or swim on their own.
    2. In this business, you either learn quickly or sink or swim; there's no middle ground.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "sink or swim" is /ˌsɪŋk ɔːr ˈswɪm/ in British English and /ˌsɪŋk ɔːr ˈswɪm/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Example usage of "sink or swim": "It was sink or swim for the new recruits; no one offered help.". More examples on the page.