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 of tailspin

• 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

How was he supposed to tell her about the bat without sending her into a tailspin? — Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026

When Harry boosts a USB crypto wallet from a brazen young criminal and spoiled rich kid, Dylan (Will Price), Ben has no idea what to do with it—plugging it into his circa-1995 desktop personal computer sends the machine into a tailspin. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 30 Oct. 2026

Simultaneously, Fumiko and Emi cross paths at the library, where the revelation that the family at least tangentially responsible for her son’s death now have an adorable little sprog of their own, threatens to send Emi into an emotional tailspin. — James Marsh, Variety, 29 Oct. 2026

The 2018 tailspin had followed a massive momentum crescendo and reversal several months earlier, which gave way to an erratic tape that couldn't absorb what seemed at the time relatively unthreatening Federal Reserve tightening actions. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tailspin

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

Kids Definition

tailspin

noun

tail·​spin ˈtā(ə)l-ˌspin 

: spin entry 2 sense 3