tailspin

play

noun tail·spin \ -ˌspin \

Definition of tailspin

1 :spin 2a

2 :a mental or emotional letdown or collapse

3 :a sustained and usually severe decline or downturn

stock prices in a tailspin

See tailspin defined for English-language learners

See tailspin defined for kids

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 of tailspin from the Web

Of course, Dobrev’s most infamous leap into the unknown was her decision in 2015 to leave The Vampire Diaries, sending fans, costars, and network executives into a tailspin.

— Harper's BAZAAR, "Nina's Night Out," 17 Aug. 2017
KEEP AT IT Don’t let an unexpected expense or a past spending mistake send your debt payoff plan into a tailspin.

— Washington Post, "Young and overspent? How to tackle credit card debt," 15 Aug. 2017
The guidance provided little hope to investors that Fossil can pull out of its tailspin soon.

— star-telegram, "Pier 1 Imports CFO leaving to join struggling Fossil Group," 8 Aug. 2017
After the crash of Lehman Brothers sent global markets into a tailspin, a decade of easy-money policies gave breathing room for nations to get their balance sheets in check and allowed for a spirited revival in corporate profits.

— sid verma, Bloomberg.com, "Zombie Companies Littering Europe May Tie the ECB's Hands for Years," 24 July 2017
Once a cash cow that generated healthy profits and filled massive assembly plants, the segment shows no sign of recovering from the tailspin.

— mark phelan, Detroit Free Press, "New Accord, Camry struggle for relevance as sedan sales plummet," 15 July 2017
Trump Jr.’s disclosure on Tuesday sent Washington into a tailspin and incited a contentious legal debate over whether the eldest Trump son had broken any laws.

— vanityfair.com, "Ex-Soviet Spy Confirms He Also Met with Trump Jr.," 14 July 2017
Trump Jr.’s disclosure on Tuesday sent Washington into a tailspin and incited a contentious legal debate over whether the eldest Trump son had broken any laws.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "Ex-Soviet Spy Confirms He Also Met with Trump Jr.," 14 July 2017
Explaining my phobia encouraged people to tell me about their own worst snake experiences, which sent me into a tailspin.

— ellen o'connell whittet, Allure, "I Developed a Snake Phobia After My Sexual Assault — Here's How I Faced It," 11 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tailspin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.