"sink or swim" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Possibly from the practice of throwing a suspected witch into water.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sinks or swims",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sinking or swimming",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sank or swam",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sunk or swum",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sink<,,sank,sunk> or swim<,,swam,swum>"
      },
      "expansion": "sink or swim (third-person singular simple present sinks or swims, present participle sinking or swimming, simple past sank or swam, past participle sunk or swum)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English coordinated pairs",
          "parents": [
            "Coordinated pairs",
            "Terms by etymology"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1872, Louisa May Alcott, chapter 1, in Shawl-Straps",
          "text": "\"No matter, we are going, live or die, sink or swim; and I shall expect to meet you, all booted and spurred and fit for the fight, April first,\" said the unwavering Amanda.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1920, Edgar Wallace, chapter 35, in Jack O' Judgment",
          "text": "\"Now, come, Pinto, we're all in this, sink or swim.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To fail or succeed, no matter what."
      ],
      "id": "en-sink_or_swim-en-verb-aCRYamTf",
      "links": [
        [
          "fail",
          "fail"
        ],
        [
          "succeed",
          "succeed"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "make-or-break"
        },
        {
          "word": "do-or-die"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
          "word": "erop of eronder"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
          "word": "mennä syteen tai saveen"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "english": "move/walk or expire",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
          "word": "marche ou crève"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "english": "a car or transport",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
          "word": "wóz albo przewóz"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "pan ili propal",
          "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
          "word": "пан или пропал"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "english": "carry/bear or break",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
          "word": "bära eller brista"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
          "word": "được ăn cả, ngã về không"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "sink or swim"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Possibly from the practice of throwing a suspected witch into water.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sinks or swims",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sinking or swimming",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sank or swam",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sunk or swum",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sink<,,sank,sunk> or swim<,,swam,swum>"
      },
      "expansion": "sink or swim (third-person singular simple present sinks or swims, present participle sinking or swimming, simple past sank or swam, past participle sunk or swum)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "make-or-break"
    },
    {
      "word": "do-or-die"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English coordinated pairs",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1872, Louisa May Alcott, chapter 1, in Shawl-Straps",
          "text": "\"No matter, we are going, live or die, sink or swim; and I shall expect to meet you, all booted and spurred and fit for the fight, April first,\" said the unwavering Amanda.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1920, Edgar Wallace, chapter 35, in Jack O' Judgment",
          "text": "\"Now, come, Pinto, we're all in this, sink or swim.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To fail or succeed, no matter what."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "fail",
          "fail"
        ],
        [
          "succeed",
          "succeed"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
      "word": "erop of eronder"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
      "word": "mennä syteen tai saveen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "english": "move/walk or expire",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
      "word": "marche ou crève"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "english": "a car or transport",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
      "word": "wóz albo przewóz"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "pan ili propal",
      "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
      "word": "пан или пропал"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "english": "carry/bear or break",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
      "word": "bära eller brista"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "to fail or succeed, on a project attempted",
      "word": "được ăn cả, ngã về không"
    }
  ],
  "word": "sink or swim"
}