Etymology
Origin of holding tank
First recorded in 1970–75
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A couple of weeks later Perez found herself back in the same holding tank, surrounded by inmates desperate to get to court.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2025
Another detail the woman who turned us away never heard is that Clyde's birthday, listed on the name tag taped to his holding tank, is two days after RayRay's death.
From Salon • Dec. 6, 2024
The only issue in the recovery occurred on May 21, when 300 to 600 gallons of pumped groundwater overflowed from a holding tank, officials said.
From Seattle Times • May 24, 2023
Describing the smell as "putrid", Braeden Lampard told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation his team were transferring rescued fish to a holding tank supplied with oxygen.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2023
“Because Dusty Muleman has been dumping his holding tank into the water,” I said.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.