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
After the Heat cut that nine-point halftime deficit to three at the end of the third quarter, the tanking Jazz then sat three starters the rest of the way in an effort to lose the game.
—
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
For every Houston Astros team that won by tanking, a dozen teams simply wasted fans’ time and money.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
But Donovan is not coaching like someone who is interested in tanking for a better draft pick, and the players aren’t accepting that notion.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
The franchises who fancy themselves contenders gear up for the sprint to the postseason, while other teams pack it up and commit to tanking.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2026
Perhaps five of the six biggest names traded (the ones listed above) went to losing teams, including a few that are actively tanking this season.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2026
During the Danny Ainge (and now Austin Ainge) era, the Utah Jazz have had an issue with being bad to prioritize their draft positioning, aka tanking.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Temperatures are expected to drop below the agency’s limits for the tanking test.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
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
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
For every Houston Astros team that won by tanking, a dozen teams simply wasted fans’ time and money.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
But Donovan is not coaching like someone who is interested in tanking for a better draft pick, and the players aren’t accepting that notion.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
The franchises who fancy themselves contenders gear up for the sprint to the postseason, while other teams pack it up and commit to tanking.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2026
Perhaps five of the six biggest names traded (the ones listed above) went to losing teams, including a few that are actively tanking this season.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2026
During the Danny Ainge (and now Austin Ainge) era, the Utah Jazz have had an issue with being bad to prioritize their draft positioning, aka tanking.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Temperatures are expected to drop below the agency’s limits for the tanking test.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tanking
Verb
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Waterfield's extra point was deflected, flopping low toward the uprights.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
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By a standard box-office calculus, such a low- to mid-seven-figure debut for a nonfiction film with $75 million in negative costs means Melania has little to no chance of avoiding flopping theatrically.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nothing says happy Valentine’s Day like a collapsing birth rate.—
Kate Andrews,
Washington Post,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The couple saw major flood damage during the same set of storms, with a wall collapsing and the house later condemned by the city.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The incident came to light after two DEA whistleblowers accused the agency of failing to address the allegations involving corruption in its Haiti operations.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2026
-
As a result, the plaintiffs argued, the administration also violated the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 by failing to consider the harmful environmental impacts of the project.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Accurate alignment of these motors is essential to ensure synchronized gripper motion when folding fabric.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
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The fragrance opens with a playful burst of juicy raspberry before folding into warm vanilla blossom, eventually settling into a smooth veil of cashmere musk that feels cozy without ever becoming heavy.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Bear, struggling with drug addiction, had no one urging her to fight the state’s case.—
Raynee Howell,
Oklahoma Watch,
9 Feb. 2026
-
He’s trapped in rolling crises of his own making and is struggling to sell voters on the idea of a strong American economy.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The ad, which centers on a fictional family scouring their community for their missing dog, demonstrates how the Search Party feature activates neighboring Ring home cameras to be used in the search.—
Mason Leib,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
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Young Heathcliff is missing a tooth, so when Heathcliff returns, Miller worked with prosthetic dental appliance creator Chris Lyons from Fangs Effects in the UK to fill the gap.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
14 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 16 Feb. 2026.
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