tailspin

noun

tail·​spin ˈtāl-ˌspin 

1

: spin sense 2a

2

: a mental or emotional letdown or collapse

3

: a sustained and usually severe decline or downturn

stock prices in a tailspin

Synonyms

• breakdown
• crack-up
• nervous breakdown

Examples of tailspin in a Sentence

Stock prices are in a tailspin.

The team went into a tailspin and lost six straight games.

Recent Examples on the Web

But when the dot-com bubble burst and the 9/11 attacks sent markets into a tailspin, her real estate business collapsed. —Achy Obejas Aaron Wojack, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Cheyenne accepts, but then loses the job when the current director recovers from a stroke, sending her into a tailspin. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2025

Trump's sweeping tariffs and uncertainty over his trade policies have sent global markets into a tailspin and darkened the outlook for the world's largest economy, in turn weakening the dollar as investors pull money out of U.S. assets. —Hannah Lang and Rae Wee, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025

The comments sent securities markets into a tailspin. —Tobias Burns, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tailspin

• akin
• auxin
• buckskin
• chagrin
• deerskin
• foreskin
• fuchsin
• herein
• kingpin
• linchpin
• pigskin
• pinyin

Kids Definition

tailspin

noun

tail·​spin ˈtā(ə)l-ˌspin 

: spin entry 2 sense 3