tank

[ tangk ]

noun

1. a large receptacle, container, or structure for holding a liquid or gas:

   tanks for storing oil.

2. a natural or artificial pool, pond, or lake.
3. Military. an armored, self-propelled combat vehicle, armed with cannon and machine guns and moving on a caterpillar tread.
4. (in a video game) a category of job classes in a role-playing game, best suited to withstand large amounts of damage from an enemy: DD ( def 2 ), healer ( def 3 ).

   The only decent tank in this game is Warrior, just because the cooldown period for the Paladin and Dark Knight skills is way too long.

5. Slang. a prison cell or enclosure for more than one occupant, as for prisoners awaiting a hearing.
6. tank top.

verb (used with object)

1. to put or store in a tank.
2. (in a video game) to provoke and hold the attention of (an enemy character) so that it does not target other player characters in the party who are less able to withstand large amounts of damage:

   If you’re properly tanking this boss, you’ll never let him face your mages.

verb (used without object)

1. Slang. to do poorly or decline rapidly; fail:

   The movie tanked at the box office.

verb phrase

1. 1. to fill the gas tank of an automobile or other motor vehicle.
   2. Slang. to drink a great quantity of alcoholic beverage, especially to intoxication.

tank

/ tæŋk /

noun

1. a large container or reservoir for the storage of liquids or gases

   tanks for storing oil

2. 1. an armoured combat vehicle moving on tracks and armed with guns, etc, originally developed in World War I
   2. ( as modifier )

      a tank commander

      a tank brigade

3. dialect.
   a reservoir, lake, or pond
4. photog
   1. a light-tight container inside which a film can be processed in daylight, the solutions and rinsing waters being poured in and out without light entering
   2. any large dish or container used for processing a number of strips or sheets of film
5. slang.
   1. a jail
   2. a jail cell
6. Also calledtankful the quantity contained in a tank
7. a dam formed by excavation

verb

1. tr to put or keep in a tank
2. intr to move like a tank, esp heavily and rapidly
3. slang.
   to defeat heavily
4. informal.
   intr to fail, esp commercially

Derived Forms

• ˈtankˌlike, adjective
• ˈtankless, adjective

Other Words From

• tank·less adjective
• tank·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tank¹

First recorded in 1610–20; perhaps jointly from Gujarati tānkh “reservoir, lake,” and Portuguese tanque, shortening of estanque “pond,” literally, “something dammed up,” derivative of estancar, from Vulgar Latin stanticāre (unattested) “to dam up, weaken”; adopted as a cover name for the military vehicle during the early stages of its manufacture in England (December 1915)

Word History and Origins

Origin of tank¹

C17: from Gujarati tānkh artificial lake, but influenced also by Portuguese tanque, from estanque pond, from estancar to dam up, from Vulgar Latin stanticāre (unattested) to block, stanch

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. go in / into the tank, Boxing Slang. to go through the motions of a match but deliberately lose because of an illicit prearrangement or fix; throw a fight.
2. in the tank, Slang.
   1. failing, doing poorly, or declining:

      His grades were in the tank last quarter.

   2. favoring, colluding, or assisting in a partisan way (often followed by with or for ):

      The talk-show host was in the tank with the Green Party.

More idioms and phrases containing tank

In addition to the idiom beginning with tank , also see think tank .

Example Sentences

It might be possible to boost oxygen levels in a water tank to make this gas more available to sea stars.

From Science News For Students

Some techniques include increasing the oxygen levels in a water tank to make the gas more easily available to sea stars or getting rid of extra organic matter with ultraviolet light or water exchange.

From Science News

Keep in mind that budget models usually don’t include filters or fans, which adds further cleaning requirements on top of the frequent refilling faced with small tanks.

From Popular-Science

If there’s still fuel in my tank after this hour or so of cooking, I’ll make a big jar of super-simple salad dressing.

From Eater

A fully-sealed HEPA filtration system means it’s great for anyone with allergies, and the easy-empty tank avoids mess.

From Popular-Science

“The events this year with Ukraine led to his ties with Cato being severed,” a source at the think tank told The Daily Beast.

From The Daily Beast

Tank Battle Kim's death -- a clean version of Kim's Face shot (no head burning or head exploding).

From The Daily Beast

Tank Battle Jeep Guard Crush -- some editorial changes and the removal of all blood when the guards are crushed by the tank.

From The Daily Beast

And he would especially like American FGM-148 Javelins, man-portable anti-tank missiles to hit at Russian armor.

From The Daily Beast

As they passed the runway, bullets shot up from the tall grass, puncturing a fuel tank.

From The Daily Beast

It is of the vertical kind, and stands on a shallow square tank, which forms the hot well.

From Project Gutenberg

On one side loomed a huge tank, to the brink of which a rickety wooden ladder invited the explorer to ascend.

From Project Gutenberg

A single oar used rather as rudder than paddle guides the tank to the middle of the stream, where it floats to its destination.

From Project Gutenberg

No shooting and they would be miles away before they stopped rubbing their eyes in that one water-tank burg.

From Project Gutenberg

The milky juice is emptied from the cups into a tank and lime juice is added and it is then allowed to stand.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• pond
• pool
• reservoir