tailspin
noun
tail·spin
ˈtāl-ˌspin 
1
2
: a mental or emotional letdown or collapse
3
: a sustained and usually severe decline or downturn
stock prices in a tailspin
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
That’s striking because disappointing inflation reports have thrown Wall Street into a tailspin.
—
Bryan Mena, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, though, sent relations between the two nations into a tailspin.
—Peter Kenyon, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
And for people who are on psychiatric medication but don’t like the side-effects or don’t want to disclose their condition, the cessation of their medication can send their mental health into a tailspin.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024
The whole thing has thrown life into an existential tailspin, and turned his status as Ryder’s go-to guy into a thing of the past.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024
The Chiefs traded Hill two seasons ago, something that was supposed to send them into reloading mode, if not a full rebuild or even a tailspin.
—Arnie Stapleton, The Denver Post, 13 Feb. 2024
West dropped out of the public eye for months following his career tailspin before appearing on stage again for the first time in August alongside Travis Scott in Rome.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
At times, the bleakness of the album can seem overwhelming—a dizzying nihilistic tailspin.
—Adam Steiner, SPIN, 8 Mar. 2024
The actor and musician, who was on hand to co-host the Academy’s official pre-Oscars red carpet show, arrived dressed in Chopard diamonds and a black Vera Wang couture gown that skimmed her growing baby bump—a look that, naturally, sent the internet into a tailspin.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024
Bryan Mena, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, though, sent relations between the two nations into a tailspin.
—Peter Kenyon, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
And for people who are on psychiatric medication but don’t like the side-effects or don’t want to disclose their condition, the cessation of their medication can send their mental health into a tailspin.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024
The whole thing has thrown life into an existential tailspin, and turned his status as Ryder’s go-to guy into a thing of the past.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024
The Chiefs traded Hill two seasons ago, something that was supposed to send them into reloading mode, if not a full rebuild or even a tailspin.
—Arnie Stapleton, The Denver Post, 13 Feb. 2024
West dropped out of the public eye for months following his career tailspin before appearing on stage again for the first time in August alongside Travis Scott in Rome.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
At times, the bleakness of the album can seem overwhelming—a dizzying nihilistic tailspin.
—Adam Steiner, SPIN, 8 Mar. 2024
The actor and musician, who was on hand to co-host the Academy’s official pre-Oscars red carpet show, arrived dressed in Chopard diamonds and a black Vera Wang couture gown that skimmed her growing baby bump—a look that, naturally, sent the internet into a tailspin.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tailspin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tailspin
Cite this Entry
“Tailspin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailspin. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tailspin
noun
tail·spin
ˈtā(ə)l-ˌspin
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