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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tanking
Cadillac sales are tanking in China, as are those of basically every non-Chinese automaker.
—
Robert Ferris, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025
One source close to Christy says Sweeney remains a big star with enormous brand recognition, and that two small indie films tanking hasn’t hurt her career.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
In finance, the ability to scale without tanking your architecture is the difference between growth and game over.
—Bill Capuzzi, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Across the board, his approval ratings are tanking.
—Sara Jacobs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Never again tanking and intentionally taking steps back with the hope of a brighter future.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025
And the only way to get tanking out of the game is to punish it with relegation instead of rewarding it with a generational draft pick.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Robert Ferris, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025
One source close to Christy says Sweeney remains a big star with enormous brand recognition, and that two small indie films tanking hasn’t hurt her career.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
In finance, the ability to scale without tanking your architecture is the difference between growth and game over.
—Bill Capuzzi, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Across the board, his approval ratings are tanking.
—Sara Jacobs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Never again tanking and intentionally taking steps back with the hope of a brighter future.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025
And the only way to get tanking out of the game is to punish it with relegation instead of rewarding it with a generational draft pick.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tanking
Verb
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The Godfather director steals the show here as an energetic, pugnacious and visionary circus ringleader who put his money where his mouth was for a project that wound up flopping critically and commercially.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Aug. 2025
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Domnhall Gleeson stars as the new editor-in-chief of a flopping Toledo newspaper tasked with revitalising its output.—
Lucy Ford,
Time,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Transmitted by bites, scratches, or even just by getting a drop of infected blood in one's system, the virus spreads rapidly, effectively collapsing society.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
3 Sep. 2025
-
On the runway, the forms alternate between architectural precision and fluid sensuality, with Scott often layering handwoven crochet against crisp suiting or transparent knits, collapsing binaries between resort wear and luxury evening.—
Skylar Mitchell,
Essence,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Jays left two runners in scoring position with no outs in the third, failing to push the ball out of the infield to earn a lead.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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However, the former fifth-round pick faded over his final couple of years in the Windy City, failing to reach 500 yards receiving in either 2022 or 2023.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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According to the declaration, the fire originated underneath and to the left of Harris, who was unconscious and sitting in a folding plastic lawn chair with metal supports.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Graco jogging strollers also feature adjustable reclining positions and canopies or one-handed folding mechanisms.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Even with Muchová so clearly struggling, Osaka faced some weird jeopardy down the stretch.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
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However, even people who have these more 'substantial' degrees are struggling.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Nassau County police first received a description of the person who was fatally struck on the parkway and then received a call from Christopher's school roughly 15 minutes later about a missing boy, detective Tracey Cabey tells PEOPLE.—
Janelle Griffith,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
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The same words apply to the title character at the film‘s center, the inscrutable and seemingly unscrupulous Hedda Gabler (a magnetic Tessa Thompson), here yanked firmly from the late 20th century setting of Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play into the ’50s, and not missing a single trick along the way.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In this season of Platonic, Luke Macfarlane's character Charlie has a mental breakdown after bombing his dream opportunity to compete on Jeopardy!—
Dory Jackson,
People.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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Trump talks God in his speech on bombing Iran.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tanking. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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