1
: a usually large receptacle for holding, transporting, or storing liquids (such as water or fuel)
2
: an enclosed heavily armed and armored combat vehicle that moves on tracks
3
: tank top
5
: a prison cell or enclosure used especially for receiving prisoners
tanked; tanking; tanks
1
: to make no effort to win : lose intentionally
tanked the match
2
: to place, store, or treat in a tank
1
: to lose intentionally : give up in competition
2
: to suffer rapid decline, failure, or collapse
bought a stock that quickly tanked
Examples of tank in a Sentence
Verb
Some people say she deliberately tanked the match.
Some people have accused her of tanking.
Recent Examples on the Web
Zaaear Pack, Baltimore Sun, 26 June 2025
Empty camping-sized, 1-pound propane tanks can be recycled for free if dropped off at the Blackwell Forest Preserve Campground, near Butterfield and Winfield roads in Warrenville, just past the gate and east of the campground office building.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2025
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2025
Nicotine can tank your health in myriad ways, but one of them is preventing osteoblasts, or your bone-building cells, from doing their job.
—Alisa Hrustic, SELF, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tank
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Imagine this: driving all day with an empty stomach and a gas tank almost empty.
—Zaaear Pack, Baltimore Sun, 26 June 2025
Empty camping-sized, 1-pound propane tanks can be recycled for free if dropped off at the Blackwell Forest Preserve Campground, near Butterfield and Winfield roads in Warrenville, just past the gate and east of the campground office building.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2025
Verb
Pritzker was highly annoyed, rightly so in our view, when Welch tanked the governor’s bill at the eleventh hour in January.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2025
Nicotine can tank your health in myriad ways, but one of them is preventing osteoblasts, or your bone-building cells, from doing their job.
—Alisa Hrustic, SELF, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tank
Cite this Entry
“Tank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tank. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tank
1 of 2 noun1
: a usually large container for holding, transporting, or storing liquids
2
: an enclosed heavily armed and armored combat vehicle that moves on beltlike tracks
tank
2 of 2 verb
: to place, store, or treat in a tank
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share