as in flopping
to be unsuccessful
her intended comeback movie tanked at the box office, and once again she was relegated to TV guest spots
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Recent Examples of tanking
On March 11, the Knicks were down by 18 points to a tanking Utah Jazz club — Clarkson’s former team.
—
Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026
If that reversal doesn’t happen, all options are on the table, Warner warned, including tanking a bipartisan deal to extend FISA Section 702, the person said.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 3 June 2026
Nuggets team president and KSE vice chairman Josh Kroenke was on the competition committee that mulled over various solutions to the years-long tanking epidemic.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 June 2026
While the Browns’ lust for draft picks warrants skepticism, because the franchise’s brazen tanking several years ago bore mostly bitter fruit, the inclusion of Verse hedges the bet considerably.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026
That indicates, at least on the surface, totally tanking interest in the series when the first season hit #1 in its first full week of tracking and stayed in the top 10 for weeks.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The vote Thursday fulfilled a promise from Commissioner Adam Silver, who vowed that the league — which has changed the lottery system about a half-dozen times in the last 40 or so years — would strongly address the tanking issue before next season.
—Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
The investor enthusiasm masks underperformance elsewhere; emerging market stocks are tanking if Asia’s three largest chipmakers are excluded.
—semafor.com, 29 May 2026
The Miami Heat has stood firmly against tanking for years.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026
Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026
If that reversal doesn’t happen, all options are on the table, Warner warned, including tanking a bipartisan deal to extend FISA Section 702, the person said.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 3 June 2026
Nuggets team president and KSE vice chairman Josh Kroenke was on the competition committee that mulled over various solutions to the years-long tanking epidemic.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 June 2026
While the Browns’ lust for draft picks warrants skepticism, because the franchise’s brazen tanking several years ago bore mostly bitter fruit, the inclusion of Verse hedges the bet considerably.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026
That indicates, at least on the surface, totally tanking interest in the series when the first season hit #1 in its first full week of tracking and stayed in the top 10 for weeks.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The vote Thursday fulfilled a promise from Commissioner Adam Silver, who vowed that the league — which has changed the lottery system about a half-dozen times in the last 40 or so years — would strongly address the tanking issue before next season.
—Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
The investor enthusiasm masks underperformance elsewhere; emerging market stocks are tanking if Asia’s three largest chipmakers are excluded.
—semafor.com, 29 May 2026
The Miami Heat has stood firmly against tanking for years.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tanking
Verb
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Plant peonies in partial sun and stake them early to prevent flopping and extend bloom quality.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
12 June 2026
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Throughout the playoffs, his ability to draw fouls drew the ire of fans who accuse him of flopping.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
9 June 2026
Verb
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In recent weeks, Iran has dramatically escalated efforts to seal off its cache of near bomb-grade uranium, deliberately collapsing tunnels and booby-trapping entrances with explosive mines, according to five sources familiar with US intelligence.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
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Turkey has a rich history of collapsing under expectation, but that could change this summer — Yildiz is the centerpiece of an exciting, dynamic, possibly history-busting young core.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Alejandro Moreno, the president of the PRI party that ruled Mexico for decades, criticized Sheinbaum’s administration for failing to protect local politicians.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
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Eldridge homered for a third straight game, the latest being his fifth home run of the season, but San Francisco fell 5-1 to the Chicago Cubs on Friday evening at Oracle Park, the latest instance of this team failing to carry the momentum from a momentous moment.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
Verb
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On Wednesday night, Heckart dozed off intermittently in a folding chair outside her minivan while her children slept inside it.—
Theresa Clift,
Sacbee.com,
8 June 2026
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Instead of those handle halves folding around close to 180 degrees to reveal a central set of pliers like many other Leathermans do, one of the Crunch's handles pulls out and swings downward via an internal arm to reveal the pliers, which in turn swing into position.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The officials described Pakistan’s monthslong effort leading the negotiations, struggling to keep both sides from walking out of the room and a total collapse of the negotiations on multiple occasions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
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The third spot, initially expected to go to Martín Zubimendi, now looks more likely to be Fabián Ruiz for the Cape Verde opener, with De la Fuente pragmatic about rotating in the early group games and with Zubimendi struggling for form later on in the club season.—
Sam Leveridge,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Ohtani returned to the lineup for the Dodgers’ 7-1 win against the White Sox, after exiting the game Thursday at Pittsburgh and missing Friday‘s game because of inflammation in his left knee.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
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Police responded to the theft on Friday night, and while footwear was among the items stolen, none of the missing equipment was considered essential for the team to play.—
Matt Reigle,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Cook, who is now retired and works in the private sector, became particularly incensed when the military began bombing boats in the Caribbean in September.—
Clint Smith,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
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The tit-for-tat strikes were sparked by Israel bombing the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut, long considered a Hezbollah stronghold, on Sunday.—
Khaled Wassef,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tanking. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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