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
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
And while tanking likely will never be the same with the new lottery rules, high picks come with no guarantee.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2026
Frank has said that the Clippers would not be a tanking team.
—Law Murray, New York Times, 11 May 2026
The Pacers entered the night with the same odds as the Wizards, only to walk away with nothing to show for their 63-loss campaign, which is a particularly cruel outcome for a team that, like Utah, had already been fined this season amid the league’s crackdown on tanking.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026
Three to 10 years of tanking or relentless losing helped Charlotte, Toronto, Detroit, Philadelphia and Cleveland at least get further than the Heat this season (for the Hornets, only a smidgen further).
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 May 2026
Trust between employers and employees is tanking.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026
And while tanking likely will never be the same with the new lottery rules, high picks come with no guarantee.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2026
Frank has said that the Clippers would not be a tanking team.
—Law Murray, New York Times, 11 May 2026
The Pacers entered the night with the same odds as the Wizards, only to walk away with nothing to show for their 63-loss campaign, which is a particularly cruel outcome for a team that, like Utah, had already been fined this season amid the league’s crackdown on tanking.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026
Three to 10 years of tanking or relentless losing helped Charlotte, Toronto, Detroit, Philadelphia and Cleveland at least get further than the Heat this season (for the Hornets, only a smidgen further).
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 May 2026
Trust between employers and employees is tanking.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tanking
Verb
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Trimming by half will keep the foliage from completely flopping over and retaining too much moisture around the crown.—
Marie Iannotti,
The Spruce,
9 May 2026
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Much of the discussion following the game is about flopping and supposed favorable whistles for the Thunder.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
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There have been 22 reports of the stools collapsing, with six injuries, including bruising and scrapes.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Cuba’s economy, which has been in a steep decline for several years, has hit rock bottom, and the population has been enduring shortages, blackouts and the effects of collapsing infrastructure.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The president pressed Nigeria last fall to take more action against terrorism, accusing the country of failing to deal with rampant violence against Christians.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
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Their father, Nahuel (Amién), flits from one romantic affair to another, failing to recognize his shortcomings the way fathers typically forget minor yet significant details, like mistaking his younger daughter’s shoe size or never delivering on his promise to have the sink fixed.—
Lé Baltar,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Online, this generally meant that creators encouraged their followers to pair a healthy habit with a fun or existing one (scrolling while walking on the treadmill, for example) or to just link two good behaviors together (folding laundry between breaks of your at-home workout).—
Julia Landwehr,
Health,
18 May 2026
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It is still barely decorated, just a corkboard pinned with photos of the boys and a folding table covered with stacks of reports.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Many libraries’ orders went unfulfilled, and all but the largest ones were left struggling to get popular titles to their patrons.—
Adeel Hassan,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
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Across Oahu’s North Shore, an area famed for its big-wave surfing, the small farms that help supply the island’s food are struggling after back-to-back storms in March brought the state’s worst flooding in two decades.—
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Is an important event missing from this date?—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
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You could be forgiven for missing the name.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Well this immigrant grandma never murdered 180 schoolgirls in Iran by bombing them to pieces.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
12 May 2026
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This can and should be done without bombing the plant.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tanking. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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