subsidence

CEFRB2

/ˈsʌbsɪdəns/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
noun
The gradual sinking of land or a building.
02
noun
Extra detail
A sinking of something to a lower level, especially of part of the surface of the Earth due to underground excavation, seismic activity or underground or ground water depletion, or the rocks in a geological basin, due to continued deposition from above.

Examples

Heavy groundwater extraction caused significant land subsidence in the valley.
Subsidence is the gradual sinking of an area of land or soil.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 3
Parts of speech: 1
Citations: 5

Also pronounced

/sʌbˈsaɪdəns/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meaning

The process of becoming less active or severe.

More examples

In context

The building was damaged by the slow subsidence of the soil.
The subdual or subsidence of the more violent passions.
In the early hours of April 28, 1953, it was completely blocked by a subsidence, which caused the death of five persons, when a pair of semi-detached houses collapsed into the cavity.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The gradual sinking of the ground, known as blank, can damage building foundations.

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Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

The subdual or subsidence of the more violent passions.
1754, William Warburton, Sermon preached before the King, at Kensington, October 27, 1754
In the early hours of April 28, 1953, it was completely blocked by a subsidence, which caused the death of five persons, when a pair of semi-detached houses collapsed into the cavity.
1957 June 26, “Notes and News: Clifton Hill Tunnel, Swinton”, in Railway Magazine, page 433
Everyone knows that a main line running through a coalfield is prone to speed restrictions because of land subsidence. […] The rate of subsidence may vary from less than an inch a month in the case of a deep seam of coal, to as rapid a decline as 16in a month above a shallow seam. The effect of subsidence on permanent way and civil engineering structures needs no emphasis.
1961 November, “Talking of Trains: The subsidence problem”, in Trains Illustrated, page 651
Subsidence was first noted in the late nineteenth century. An increasing thirst for groundwater, which creates subterranean pockets that are then compressed by the land above, and upriver damming of the Mississippi, which prevents the replenishment of sediments, have undermined the city to the point that it is now thought to be subsiding by up to 12 millimetres per year.
2020, David Farrier, “Thin Cities”, in Footprints, 4th Estate, →ISBN
Iran’s president has claimed Iran has no choice but to move its capital from Tehran to the south of the country due to the city’s over-expansion, the lack of adequate water supplies and the growing threat of subsidence.
2025 October 2, David Wintour, “Iran must move its capital from Tehran, says president as water crisis worsens”, in The Guardian, Guardian Media Group, →ISSN, →OCLC

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Origin

noun

Latin subsidens, subsidentis, present participle of subsidere. Equivalent to subside + -ence.

Deep Dive

noun

More examples

Quick test

The gradual sinking of the ground, known as blank—, can damage building foundations.

Nearby

Origin

noun

The gradual sinking of the ground, known as blank, can damage building foundations.