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
Synonyms
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
David Sims, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024
As Israeli tanks and ground troops moved to surround the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis, civilian deaths increased during January and the number of aid trucks allowed to enter plummeted.
—Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
When the truck flipped, water and fish poured out of its tank.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Hear me out, everyone needs a go-to pair of shorts for lounging around the house or outside in the summertime, and a racerback tank is a capsule wardrobe must that can be layered or worn as is.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 5 Apr. 2024
The Sacramento County district attorney’s office has sued a state agency alleging that storage tanks are leaking hazardous substances under several downtown buildings, including the state Capitol.
—Theresa Clift, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
Mark Cuban, former Mavericks owner and shark tank TV personality, dropped off the list of the top 10 richest billionaires in Dallas-Fort Worth.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Divers come by three times a week to clean the tank and feed the fish.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 29 Mar. 2024
Read the full Scorpio Daily Horoscope Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)
Not much in the tank?
—USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Charlie Savage, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Some lawmakers, like outgoing Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., think some of the existing reauthorization bills don’t go far enough and threaten to tank congressional approval of the entire program.
—USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
The conservative foundation America First, which has backed a host of anti-DEI lawsuits, has now set its sights on Disney, claiming (erroneously) that diversity efforts have tanked the entertainment juggernaut’s value.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
On Monday, Turkey woke up to a set of political realities dramatically different from those less than a year ago, when Erdogan secured reelection despite a tanking economy and the hideous impact of an earthquake that devastated the country’s south.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
There is supposed to be Borderlands 4 coming out at some point here, if Embracer somehow doesn’t tank it as Gearbox’s owner.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
If the company’s board, which includes a number of Trump family members and cronies, tries to waive this provision, alarmed investors could tank the stock before Trump has a chance to cash out.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
The pile-on continued and some said this could tank her chances of running for office in the future.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Those moderates borrowed the playbook from their more conservative colleagues – who have repeatedly brought the House to a standstill in recent months – and threatened to tank an unrelated vote and freeze legislative action.
—Ken Tran, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
Although the larger history within Civil War is oblique, Garland’s script lays out just enough to explain why tanks might be rolling across the country from California to Washington, D.C.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024
As Israeli tanks and ground troops moved to surround the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis, civilian deaths increased during January and the number of aid trucks allowed to enter plummeted.
—Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
When the truck flipped, water and fish poured out of its tank.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Hear me out, everyone needs a go-to pair of shorts for lounging around the house or outside in the summertime, and a racerback tank is a capsule wardrobe must that can be layered or worn as is.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 5 Apr. 2024
The Sacramento County district attorney’s office has sued a state agency alleging that storage tanks are leaking hazardous substances under several downtown buildings, including the state Capitol.
—Theresa Clift, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
Mark Cuban, former Mavericks owner and shark tank TV personality, dropped off the list of the top 10 richest billionaires in Dallas-Fort Worth.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Divers come by three times a week to clean the tank and feed the fish.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 29 Mar. 2024
Read the full Scorpio Daily Horoscope Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)
Not much in the tank?
—USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida and one of the leaders of the party’s hard-right wing, had pledged Tuesday to tank it.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Some lawmakers, like outgoing Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., think some of the existing reauthorization bills don’t go far enough and threaten to tank congressional approval of the entire program.
—USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
The conservative foundation America First, which has backed a host of anti-DEI lawsuits, has now set its sights on Disney, claiming (erroneously) that diversity efforts have tanked the entertainment juggernaut’s value.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
On Monday, Turkey woke up to a set of political realities dramatically different from those less than a year ago, when Erdogan secured reelection despite a tanking economy and the hideous impact of an earthquake that devastated the country’s south.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
There is supposed to be Borderlands 4 coming out at some point here, if Embracer somehow doesn’t tank it as Gearbox’s owner.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
If the company’s board, which includes a number of Trump family members and cronies, tries to waive this provision, alarmed investors could tank the stock before Trump has a chance to cash out.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
The pile-on continued and some said this could tank her chances of running for office in the future.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Those moderates borrowed the playbook from their more conservative colleagues – who have repeatedly brought the House to a standstill in recent months – and threatened to tank an unrelated vote and freeze legislative action.
—Ken Tran, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tank.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Portuguese tanque, alteration of estanque, from estancar to stanch, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *stanticare — more at stanch
First Known Use
Noun
1609, in the meaning defined at sense 4
Verb
1863, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2
Phrases Containing tank
Dictionary Entries Near tank
Cite this Entry
“Tank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tank. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids 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
More from Merriam-Webster on tank
Nglish: Translation of tank for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of tank for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tank
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