tailspin

noun

Save Word

tail·spin | \ ˈtāl-ˌspin

Definition of tailspin

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 More Example Sentences Learn More About tailspin

Keep scrolling for more

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 Our unwitting guide is Petrov (Semyon Serzin), a comic book artist whose bout of flu sends viewers into a tailspin. — CNN, 17 July 2021 Their father's death sent his musician brother Jordan into a tailspin, McGlashen said. — BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2021 Their father's death sent his musician brother Jordan into a tailspin, McGlashen said. — Mike Stobbe, ajc, 15 July 2021 Their father's death sent his musician brother Jordan into a tailspin, McGlashen said. — CBS News, 14 July 2021 Their father’s death sent his musician brother Jordan into a tailspin, McGlashen said. — Mike Stobbe, Anchorage Daily News, 14 July 2021 Their father's death sent his musician brother Jordan into a tailspin, McGlashen said. — Mike Stobbe, Chron, 14 July 2021 Rath’s defeat, coupled with the 1980s farm crisis, sent Waterloo into an economic tailspin that the Black community never fully recovered from. — Michael Grabell, ProPublica, 21 Dec. 2020 Even the slightest hint of an impending revaluation of the dollar would have sent financial markets into a tailspin. — Bruce Bartlett, The New Republic, 9 July 2021

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.