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
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Serious headwinds in the housing market and the broader economy are tanking home sales at an alarming rate.
—
Diana Olick, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
Jusuf Nurkic, Utah Jazz The Jazz have been a tanking team the last couple of seasons and have already started to rest players again.
—Mike Barner, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Packing your own treats not only saves money between meals, but also keeps mood-tanking hunger pangs at bay.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 20 Jan. 2026
The good news for the Nets fans who want tanking is that Brooklyn spends seven of its next 10 games on the road.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Republicans, led by McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner, claimed that the Democrats were trying to distract from the poor rollout and tanking approval numbers of the Affordable Care Act, and promised that the filibuster vote would come home to roost at the ballot box the next year.
—Jon Ralston, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2026
No one is going to care about short-term interest rates if the dollar starts tanking or there is a sudden and widespread loss of confidence in the Fed’s ability to maintain inflation low and labor markets stable over the long-term.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2026
Really, the tanking thing is just silly, and getting old.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 11 Jan. 2026
If these shows were tanking, why care about cancellations?
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 1 Jan. 2026
Diana Olick, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
Jusuf Nurkic, Utah Jazz The Jazz have been a tanking team the last couple of seasons and have already started to rest players again.
—Mike Barner, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Packing your own treats not only saves money between meals, but also keeps mood-tanking hunger pangs at bay.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 20 Jan. 2026
The good news for the Nets fans who want tanking is that Brooklyn spends seven of its next 10 games on the road.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Republicans, led by McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner, claimed that the Democrats were trying to distract from the poor rollout and tanking approval numbers of the Affordable Care Act, and promised that the filibuster vote would come home to roost at the ballot box the next year.
—Jon Ralston, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2026
No one is going to care about short-term interest rates if the dollar starts tanking or there is a sudden and widespread loss of confidence in the Fed’s ability to maintain inflation low and labor markets stable over the long-term.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2026
Really, the tanking thing is just silly, and getting old.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 11 Jan. 2026
If these shows were tanking, why care about cancellations?
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 1 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tanking
Verb
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Stiller’s character attempts to match the athletic feat in a heated rage by climbing high and belly-flopping right onto a drum kit as the music powers on.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
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Perspectives 🏁 The viral video of a Kansas referee seemingly flopping during a high school girl’s basketball game is a bad look.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Already too much of Havana – a once beautiful city now littered with debris from buildings collapsing under years of neglect – looks like a war zone.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
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The demonstrations began in late December in response to the collapsing value of the national currency -- the rial -- before morphing into a wider anti-regime movement which drew backing from dissidents abroad and Western governments.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash As the Flynn family fractures under the strain of a failing open marriage and three daughters spiraling into dangerous secrets, their small coastal town is quietly dominated by a powerful shipping magnate no one dares to question.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
31 Jan. 2026
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Increasingly, schools in California excessively coddle students by neglecting to impose penalties for late work, eliminating the possibility for a failing grade, and unlimited opportunities to redo exams and assignments.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Vertical file folding for towels and clothes maximizes space and keeps drawers looking tidy longer.—
Melissa Epifano,
The Spruce,
26 Jan. 2026
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Graduates wear full-length gowns over dress clothes and sit in folding chairs on the field.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While a win over struggling Rutgers, which has lost five in a row, isn’t the biggest addition to USC’s résumé, every win in Big Ten play is critical for the Trojans, who hope to build their case for an NCAA tournament berth.—
Sean Campbell,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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Our state government is struggling to pass audits, electric rates are rising and, despite Moore’s sunny pronouncements, the cost of rebuilding the Key Bridge has exploded from less than 2 billion to more than 5 billion dollars.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
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Meet the expert This baby pink cat-eye manicure is all about what's missing.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Last June, after indirect nuclear negotiations collapsed, the United States joined Israel in a 12-day war with Iran, bombing three of the country’s key nuclear facilities.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
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The cross on this painting is a target, like when bombing with a drone.—
Thomas Patier,
Artforum,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tanking. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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