This is the 15935th most frequent Polish word.
tonął
"Tonął" means "was drowning" in English.
Here, 'tonął' indicates an ongoing action of drowning in a physical context.
Tonął w rzece, gdy nikt nie był w pobliżu.
He was drowning in the river when no one was around.
In this context, 'tonął' is used metaphorically to express being overwhelmed by emotions.
Tonął w smutku po stracie bliskiej osoby.
He was drowning in sorrow after losing a loved one.
Here, 'tonął' is employed idiomatically to convey being buried or overwhelmed by work.