tanked 1 of 2

Definition of tankednext
slang

tanked

2 of 2

verb

past tense of tank

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 tanked
Adjective
Because sales of home media almost completely tanked while streaming services were ascendant, many manufacturers of stand-alone players exited the market. Matt Kamen, Wired News, 29 May 2026 The protests began last week with economic grievances as the Iranian currency, the rial, tanked. Henry Austin, NBC news, 7 Jan. 2026 Some of the frustration is also economic: His ever-shifting tariffs have raised expectations of a recession and tanked consumer confidence. Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 1 May 2025 Casablanca was based on a play that instantly tanked. Peter Bart, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025 As stocks tanked following news of President Trump’s new tariffs, Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu got billions richer. Gigi Zamora, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025 The Supreme Court’s early indications boosted the shares of companies behind rival platforms, but shares of Oracle, which hosts U.S. TikTok data, tanked 5% Friday. Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025 CrowdStrike’s stock price predictably tanked after the July 19 outage disrupted various services across the nation, from flights to court dates to hospital appointments. Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2024
Verb
Jackson fans accuse the documentary of being sensational and light on the facts, and as such, have tanked its score. Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026 Ratings have tanked under his watch. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 June 2026 Polls show consistently that the media’s approval rating has tanked to an all-time low. Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 9 June 2026 Financial markets tanked following the release of the report, which was stronger than expected. Nathan Diller, USA Today, 7 June 2026 Moscow launched the onslaught against threats of heightened aggression, citing a wave of Ukrainian near-daily attacks on Russian oil assets that tanked fuel stocks and exacerbated economic woes. Helen Regan, CNN Money, 2 June 2026 Fallout from the scandal, compounded by the Labor Party’s stinging local election losses, has tanked Starmer’s poll numbers. Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026 Think back to last month, when Meta reported a monster quarter and the stock tanked. Zev Fima, CNBC, 28 May 2026 Since the end of Operation Metro Surge in February, donations to volunteer mutual aid groups have tanked. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tanked
Adjective
  • Vuvuzelas honked like a chorus of drunk geese, and spectators chattered excitedly.
    Ryan Lenora Brown, NPR, 14 June 2026
  • And his father was a drunk and not a nice person.
    Pat Saperstein, Variety, 14 June 2026
Verb
  • Replay shows the defender never made meaningful contact and the offensive player overly-exaggerated the contact (flopped).
    Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
  • That fad, alas, had run its course, and the Bicentennial Pet Rock flopped.
    ABC News, ABC News, 13 June 2026
Adjective
  • At the time of the crash, Alexander’s license had been revoked since March 2021 after a drunken driving conviction in Wisconsin, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
    Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 9 June 2026
  • Scott Quigley, was allegedly involved in a fatal drunken cruiser crash in 2023.
    Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • On May 9, 1873—Black Friday—stocks collapsed, and fights broke out on the floor of the exchange, which was forced to close.
    John Cassidy, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
  • Like how the 1964 claims of a North Vietnamese attack in the Gulf of Tonkin collapsed.
    Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026
Adjective
  • Contestants from all across the nation will face rigorous tests that mirror the real-life journey of a comedian — from brutal open mics to bombed sets, rewrites and the pressure of big-stage performances.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Two other ships owned by Lan, priced at about $175,000 each, have also failed to find buyers.
    Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 18 June 2026
  • Staff at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System recommended Tuesday that the board drop United Healthcare plans after negotiations with the insurer over next year’s premiums failed to yield lower rates.
    William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026
Adjective
  • The secret to truly great fried chicken is striking the perfect balance between crispy skin and moist, juicy meat.
    Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 June 2026
  • Make fried favorites like french fries and chicken nuggets with 75 percent less fat in this compact air fryer.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 8 June 2026
Verb
  • Sequence unraveled, and with it the onward rush, progression, the sense of one event coming after another; my understanding of cause and effect, of the chronological chopping-up of time both personal and historical—before and after, premodern and modern—all blurred, folded, unraveled out of reach.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
  • Companies tallied their emissions, governments folded those tallies into national inventories, and the rest of us took the sum on trust.
    Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Tanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tanked. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.

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