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
Fred Katz, New York Times, 26 Nov. 2025
According to the ministry’s breakdown, the largest losses were reported in the area of Russia’s Battlegroup Center, where more than 450 Ukrainian soldiers were said to have been killed or wounded, alongside a tank and seven armored combat vehicles.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 23 Nov. 2025
What City Trail does expertly is give the player a small amount of control over their build, crafting random apocalyptic events to rain down on Skyah that could either tank their machine or grant the player a chance to snag a Legendary Machine.
—Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tank
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Noun
Stephen Gosling / Getty Images CJ McCollum still has gas in the tank.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 26 Nov. 2025
According to the ministry’s breakdown, the largest losses were reported in the area of Russia’s Battlegroup Center, where more than 450 Ukrainian soldiers were said to have been killed or wounded, alongside a tank and seven armored combat vehicles.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Verb
As time went on, Holly slowly started to confide in more head professors, and several of them met to determine how to blackmail Jack and tank the potential contract.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 23 Nov. 2025
What City Trail does expertly is give the player a small amount of control over their build, crafting random apocalyptic events to rain down on Skyah that could either tank their machine or grant the player a chance to snag a Legendary Machine.
—Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 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 29 Nov. 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
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