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
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 Watch on Netflix Mank An intricate study of a cinematic masterpiece or two hours and 11 minutes of Gary Oldman lying around and getting tanked in bed? Matt Kamen, WIRED, 6 July 2024
Verb
This may have been the case for the recent mass layoffs at fintech Block; some saw it as an effort by CEO Jack Dorsey to regain investors’ confidence after its stock tanked. Gary Marcus, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026 Earlier this year, Anthropic tanked the stock market when traders woke up and realized the company’s tools could eat entire industries for breakfast. Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026 Oil prices tanked amid hopes of the crude trade normalizing. Alex Harring, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026 When Cross-Goldenberg asked if the speedy trial violation that tanked the state case had to do with a reluctant witness, Reid said the case was hampered by a problem with the discovery process, since state prosecutors didn’t hand over material to the defense in a timely fashion. John Annese, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026 After the football team tanked in the fall of 2016, Benedict made an abrupt decision to fire Diaco and hire Randy Edsall, who had left after leading UConn to the Fiesta Bowl in 2010. Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026 Gage Griggs tanked a Ruger Riojas offering well over the wall in left-center field to briefly restore parity. David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026 Asian stocks tanked as the war in Iran entered its fifth day, with investors dumping crowded positions in chipmakers on worries that the conflict will drive an oil shock that raises inflation and delays interest rate cuts. Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026 There was plenty of buzz pre-launch, but once the bikes were released, sales tanked. New Atlas, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tanked
Adjective
  • Never before has every half-drunk joke, every stumble of language, been so on the record; never before has the moral climate been so skittish — so quick to litigate tone, ignore intent and presume motive.
    Robert Lynch, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
  • The next summer, he was removed from a flight at LAX before takeoff while drunk and vomiting, having been seen earlier slamming beer and whiskey in the Delta Airlines lounge.
    Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Even their most consistent hitter of the year flopped in that spot on Sunday as Ramón Laureano went 0-for-5.
    Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Why Frederick Jackson Turner’s Frontier Thesis initially flopped.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Meis moves from the Baroque virtuosity of Rubens’s study of a drunken mythological figure, through the jagged modernist puzzle of Marc’s allegorical animals, to Mitchell’s painterly abstractions and their flickering landscape allusions.
    Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Take Jackie, who comes into the ER after a drunken accident.
    Jonathan Hunt-Glassman, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • As the operation collapsed, the messages show the men scrambling for protection and escape routes.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
  • In August 2021, as Kabul collapsed and Afghans crowded the gates of Hamid Karzai International Airport, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin — then a Republican member of Congress from Oklahoma — tried to travel to Afghanistan.
    Peter Lucier, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 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
  • Parker said a subcontractor working at the parking garage was in the process of installing precast concrete flooring, decking and roofing segments, and one of them failed.
    Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • The implication is that she got distracted and failed to notice the most important things.
    Brandy Jensen, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Do your best to avoid foods with the words fried, au gratin, crispy, escalloped, pan-fried, sautéed or stuffed as this can indicate a high level of fat and calories.
    Dr. Sarah Kinsella, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Seafood lovers can expect to get a full taste of the sea; lobster rolls, fried fish, and barbecue shrimp are all on the menu, plus some additional offerings for land lovers.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The ground beef was chopped fine on the grill and folded together with sweet, softened onions and perfectly melted American cheese, all tucked into a soft roll with crisp lettuce and tomato for balance.
    Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Romero said cities and counties should control development, but favors an annexation approach where portions of unincorporated areas are essentially folded into the city and its infrastructure.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Tanked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tanked. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.

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