TAILSPIN Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

tailspin

noun

ˈtāl-ˌspin

Definition of tailspin next

as in breakdown

a mental or nervous collapse the pressures of his job nearly caused him to go into a tailspin

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of tailspin With the documentary world in a financial tailspin, and network news facing new threats under the FCC, movies about movies that once would’ve disgusted me suddenly feel like essential bursts of self-awareness. —

Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026 At the story’s start Mathilda happens upon a new Transfixion, the obscure Black modernist poet Hermia Druitt, who sends her into a tailspin unlike any who came before. —

Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026 The tailspin began on a Thursday night, with a Lions-Cowboys game. —

Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026 The hemp industry went into a tailspin when Congress approved a provision sandwiched in a November funding bill to end the government shutdown. —

Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 3 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tailspin

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tailspin

breakdown

Noun

Here's a breakdown of the 10 best remaining fits for Denver at their late-second-round slot Friday.

— Luca Evans, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Australian actress Charlotte MacInnes has provided tearful testimony on the breakdown in her relationship with Rebel Wilson during the making of The Deb.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026