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
Indiscriminate and often violent immigration enforcement operations under Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino had sparked widespread public protests, and Trump’s approval ratings on his signature issue were tanking.
—
Brian Bennett, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
Tirico talks about a couple of the controversial topics in Italy like figure skating star Ilia Malinin, tanking in the NBA, and much more.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
The lack of scoring and the senseless turnovers are the main reasons Golden State trailed early by double digits to Phoenix and went into the third quarter down 17 to a tanking Grizzlies team.
—Jannelle Moore, Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2026
Until the league comes up with a legitimate deterrence to tanking, nothing will keep teams from breaking bad.
—Kevin Sherrington
feb. 16, Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026
Just three nights before the NBA All-Star Game, an event which over the last 20 years has become a sort of living monument to half-assery, the league slapped the Utah Jazz with a $500,000 fine for tanking.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 16 Feb. 2026
The commissioner also acknowledged that the fines could conceivably be followed by the revocation of draft picks from tanking teams.
—Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026
Never mind foul-baiting and load management, the hottest topics circling the NBA in 2026 are tanking and the opposite – trying too hard to win, allegedly, in the Clippers’ case.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
The commissioner also acknowledged the fines could be followed by the revocation of draft picks from tanking teams.
—Greg Beacham, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Brian Bennett, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
Tirico talks about a couple of the controversial topics in Italy like figure skating star Ilia Malinin, tanking in the NBA, and much more.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
The lack of scoring and the senseless turnovers are the main reasons Golden State trailed early by double digits to Phoenix and went into the third quarter down 17 to a tanking Grizzlies team.
—Jannelle Moore, Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2026
Until the league comes up with a legitimate deterrence to tanking, nothing will keep teams from breaking bad.
—Kevin Sherrington
feb. 16, Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026
Just three nights before the NBA All-Star Game, an event which over the last 20 years has become a sort of living monument to half-assery, the league slapped the Utah Jazz with a $500,000 fine for tanking.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 16 Feb. 2026
The commissioner also acknowledged that the fines could conceivably be followed by the revocation of draft picks from tanking teams.
—Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026
Never mind foul-baiting and load management, the hottest topics circling the NBA in 2026 are tanking and the opposite – trying too hard to win, allegedly, in the Clippers’ case.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
The commissioner also acknowledged the fines could be followed by the revocation of draft picks from tanking teams.
—Greg Beacham, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tanking
Verb
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The ponytails were flopping and the eyelashes were flapping at West Orange High on Saturday afternoon, but don’t think the girls participating in the first-ever Orlando All-American Exposure Camp weren’t just as intense as the boys from the morning session.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2026
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Waterfield's extra point was deflected, flopping low toward the uprights.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On even longer timescales, the remnant black holes that were created, whether from stellar explosions, neutron star mergers, a collapsing gas cloud, or having grown into supermassive behemoths, will all evaporate.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Feb. 2026
-
CDs were collapsing, streaming hadn’t yet found its footing, and most of the conversation centered on what was being lost.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Israel’s government has repeatedly criticized its counterpart in Australia for failing to address antisemitic attacks in the country.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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The prosecution detailed nine separate errors made by Plamberger during the climb—from failing to bring bivy gear to failing to abide by a reasonable turnaround time—which collectively suggest a charge of gross negligence.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Roll up as tight as possible, starting at lower edge, folding over ends (to tuck in contents) halfway through rolling up tortilla.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
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The city of Paramount was incorporated in 1958 by folding together a pair of renowned dairy and hay communities named Hynes and Clearwater.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Know More Apple’s leadership once thought Apple News could be an antidote to bad information online, and serve as a lifeline for a struggling news industry displaced by powerful tech platforms.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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The University of Houston poll shows Abbott's preferred candidates struggling with Republican primary voters.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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California search-and-rescue teams have recovered the bodies of all nine missing skiers killed Tuesday in a devastating avalanche in a remote region of Sierra Nevada north of Lake Tahoe.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
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The Nets opened with a level of engagement missing a night earlier.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For Lucy, that meant realizing that her dad had lied about his true intentions and his role in bombing Shady Sands.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
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This is a program where UCLA assistant coach Rod Palmer once had teams competing against the best when alumnus Arron Affalo was bombing in threes and delivering dunks before going on to UCLA and the NBA.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tanking. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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