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

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

The Context Global markets went into a tailspin in April, when Trump first rolled out sweeping global tariffs targeting almost every major U.S. trading partner. —Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025

The weight of all this sent Samuele into a tailspin. —Curtis Bunn, NBC news, 19 June 2025

Another adjustment to sugar rates shortly thereafter threw Spain’s colony of Cuba into a tailspin, spurring an anti-colonial war. —Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

The move sent stock markets in the U.S. and abroad into a tailspin, fueled recession fears and prompted some of Trump’s allies in the business community to speak out against the policy. —Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 16 June 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