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.
He believes high levels of gas were produced in the holding tank that exploded, which may have been ignited by a spark on the day of the incident.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2025
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
To protect the male sea dragon from bumping the eggs off his tail, aquarists at the New England Aquarium moved him to his own smaller holding tank to be monitored.
From New York Times • Mar. 17, 2023
“Noah, you understand why I sunk the Coral Queen, right? Every time Dusty empties her holding tank, it’s like flushing a hundred filthy toilets into God’s ocean!”
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
