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
For Miami, a loss here would accelerate and raise decibels on talk of tanking and/or firing everybody.
—
Greg Cote
october 9, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
The Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets openly tanking are focusing on player development ahead of a strong 2026 draft.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
White’s probe confirmed allegations of tampering but didn’t find sufficient evidence of tanking.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2025
How the fear of missing out might be tanking your mental health.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
If the labor market is tanking or inflation is sticky next year, that won’t matter politically as long as workers still feel good about the economy.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2025
With job growth tanking and the economy wobbling, pressure is on for the Federal Reserve to start lowering interest rates, with markets now expecting a cut at each of the three remaining meetings this year.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 9 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
Greg Cote
october 9, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
The Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets openly tanking are focusing on player development ahead of a strong 2026 draft.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
White’s probe confirmed allegations of tampering but didn’t find sufficient evidence of tanking.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2025
How the fear of missing out might be tanking your mental health.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
If the labor market is tanking or inflation is sticky next year, that won’t matter politically as long as workers still feel good about the economy.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2025
With job growth tanking and the economy wobbling, pressure is on for the Federal Reserve to start lowering interest rates, with markets now expecting a cut at each of the three remaining meetings this year.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 9 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tanking
Verb
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Splinter after splinter flopping onto the stone threshold, tsss, tsss, hissing like a nest of vipers.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
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This Colombian has been flopping in the US since 2003, has apparently not had a job since 2014.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
An ceasefire in the early days of the war, in November 2023, lasted just a week before collapsing.—
Greg Myre,
NPR,
9 Oct. 2025
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Fumbles aside, Henry hasn’t looked washed, but a collapsing Ravens team has torpedoed his fantasy production.—
Dalton Del Don,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In August, five Northern Virginia school districts were found by the Department of Education to be in violation of Title IX for failing to roll back policies allowing transgender students.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Oct. 2025
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For Jonah, bottom wasn’t failing out of college and mulling suicide.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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So folding in those salaries along with pre-arb salaries and all the other standard stuff, like player benefits and minor-league salaries, should add another $50 million.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Tesla also removed ambient lighting, certain exterior light bars, power-folding mirrors, and other upgrades introduced in previous refreshes.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Families are struggling with rising costs while City Hall wastes millions.—
Miami Herald Staff,
Miami Herald,
8 Oct. 2025
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Through scholarships and events, the organization aims to support and encourage people struggling with illness.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Was missing a zero in his opening Shield knock — 10s need to be squared for Bancroft to stand a chance.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Information that was missing also caught the attention of the experts Joan consulted.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Martin attempted to assert his authority by bombing Raskin out of the squad altogether.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Trump has also ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza.—
SAM MEDNICK,
Arkansas Online,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tanking. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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