Recent Examples on the WebWith its curvy lines and massive tan tires, the E-Coast hearkens back to when tail fins and whitewall tires were common sights on the road.—Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, 22 Sep. 2023 Pathfinder 1 has 12 electric motors for propulsion, as well as four tail fins with steering rudders controlled by its fly-by-wire system.—IEEE Spectrum, 10 Dec. 2022 Visible from a highway, the aircraft — one of the world’s largest cargo plans, with a Russian flag painted on its tail fin and a blue stripe running the length of its 226-foot white body — has been a curiosity here, drawing attention for racking up a sky-high airport parking ticket.—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023 More recently, Raytheon had to correct a flaw in which vibrations threatened to cause the bomb’s tail fins to pop out mid-flight despite restraining clips—something which could damage carrying aircraft, particularly if carried internally.—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 9 Apr. 2023 The young cod stay out of the worst of the current by hugging the bottom, beating their tail fins furiously to swim in place.—Robert Kunzig, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 In September 2019, officials discovered the mutilated body of a dead elephant seal, which had been shot in the head and sliced open; someone had also cut off the animal’s tail fins.—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Oct. 2023 But its details define the Oldsmobile F-88 concept as something far more visionary, offering a glimpse of the future in the shape of its fenders, tail fins, exhaust outlets, and use of chrome.—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 31 July 2023 At some point, a derivative of the Ababil-2, dubbed the Ababil-T or Ababil-2T, emerged that had a fiberglass instead of metal skin, and replaced the base model’s singular tail fin with two smaller ones.—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 28 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tail fin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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