tank
noun
a large receptacle, container, or structure for holding a liquid or gas.
had been tanking
-
past perfect progressiveof tank.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
Because of this remark, oil prices, which had been soaring, plummeted—and the stock market, which had been tanking, recovered much of the day’s losses.
From Slate ● Mar. 10, 2026
The economy had been tanking for a while.
From New York Times ● Dec. 9, 2022
