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
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
That would be the design, something Giannis Antetokounmpo had done every season prior to this past season, when the Bucks’ tanking desires also were a factor.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2026
Cleveland’s regular-season home/road splits don’t support that, partially because one-third of the NBA was tanking, so the Cavs played well just about everywhere.
—Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
Voters fed up with high profile crimes and shootings – along with the high cost of living – may be part of the reason that Healey’s job approval numbers are tanking and could give life to Republicans’ hopes of stealing back the Corner Office.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026
Frank has said that the Clippers would not be a tanking team.
—Law Murray, New York Times, 11 May 2026
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
That would be the design, something Giannis Antetokounmpo had done every season prior to this past season, when the Bucks’ tanking desires also were a factor.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2026
Cleveland’s regular-season home/road splits don’t support that, partially because one-third of the NBA was tanking, so the Cavs played well just about everywhere.
—Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
Voters fed up with high profile crimes and shootings – along with the high cost of living – may be part of the reason that Healey’s job approval numbers are tanking and could give life to Republicans’ hopes of stealing back the Corner Office.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026
Frank has said that the Clippers would not be a tanking team.
—Law Murray, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tanking
Verb
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Perhaps the poster child for the flopping phenomenon is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
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For all the bright spots on Islands’ state champion soccer team, nothing shone brighter than its golden hairdos flopping around the pitch.—
Jack Leo,
AJC.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
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The dread moving through professional offices right now is the sound of that assumption collapsing.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
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Badham had barely escaped another collapsing production, an early version of The Wiz starring Diana Ross, when producer Robert Stigwood suddenly called him in to take over what was then still called Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night, based on Nik Cohn’s famous New York magazine article.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Following an on-site inspection in November 2020, the South Coast AQMD cited GKN Aerospace in 2021 for failing to maintain required emission records for volatile organic compounds, which are gases emitted from paints, coatings and solvents.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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But, following a string of disappointing national-team performances, including failing to qualify for the 1958 World Cup and shocking losses to both the Soviet Union and North Korea at the 1966 edition, the league reinstated the ban.—
Albert Samaha,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
Verb
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In 1980 and ’81, Ghirri was lured to Amsterdam, invited by the Polaroid company to experiment with its 20×24 Land Camera, a monstrous version of the then-ubiquitous SX-70 folding model.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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That’s because, unlike most folding smartphones, this one seems designed to look like a regular tablet when it’s opened.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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After more than five innings of the Bulldogs trailing Liberty by one, struggling to get anything going, the Georgia third baseman crushed a two-run home run to left field.—
Sarah Spencer,
AJC.com,
1 June 2026
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Hezbollah's use of hard-to-detect fiber optic drones has been deadly for the Israeli military, which is struggling to respond.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Bernice Courtemanche went missing 42 years ago as of Saturday.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
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Conducted in partnership with public opinion research firm PerryUndem, the research explored the gap between dominant cultural narratives about Black women and the stories Black women say are missing, distorted, or urgently needed.—
Dominique Fluker,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
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On Monday, the Israeli military resumed bombing Hezbollah in Lebanon as peace talks for the Iran war continue.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
26 May 2026
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Al Thawadi was in the Oval Office in September last year to watch Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu place a call to Qatar’s prime minister to apologize for bombing Doha.—
Dominic Dudley,
semafor.com,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tanking. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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