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
With the documentary world in a financial tailspin, and network news facing new threats under the FCC, movies about movies that once would’ve disgusted me suddenly feel like essential bursts of self-awareness.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
At the story’s start Mathilda happens upon a new Transfixion, the obscure Black modernist poet Hermia Druitt, who sends her into a tailspin unlike any who came before.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
The tailspin began on a Thursday night, with a Lions-Cowboys game.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Cuba’s economy, already in the midst of an existential crisis, went into a tailspin.
—Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tailspin
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Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
At the story’s start Mathilda happens upon a new Transfixion, the obscure Black modernist poet Hermia Druitt, who sends her into a tailspin unlike any who came before.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
The tailspin began on a Thursday night, with a Lions-Cowboys game.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Cuba’s economy, already in the midst of an existential crisis, went into a tailspin.
—Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tailspin
Cite this Entry
“Tailspin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailspin. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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tailspin
noun
tail·spin
ˈtā(ə)l-ˌspin
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
