Etymology
Origin of tanked
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.
You might want to lock in profits from a stock investment that has grown a lot, or sell something that tanked and use that loss for tax purposes to offset your gains.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 25, 2026
But China resumed full-fledged exports within a few years, and prices tanked.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
Tech shares in Asia tanked earlier this week following a similar sell-off in the US on Friday amid growing concerns about stretched valuations.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, California regulators seized two major life-insurance companies two months in a row after their extensive junk-bond holdings tanked.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
I clicked up some history on the area, heavily industrial, at least until the economy tanked.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
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.
