TANKING Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

tanking

verb

present participle of tank

as in flopping

to be unsuccessful her intended comeback movie tanked at the box office, and once again she was relegated to TV guest spots

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of tanking A lot of teams at the bottom might be tanking for Arch Manning, and there is no real new blood at quarterback this season. — Vic Tafur, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 During the 1996–97 season, for example, the Boston Celtics went 15–67 and effectively admitted to tanking for the right to draft Tim Duncan. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026 Data centers are becoming the political flash point of the midterms as candidates race to respond to tanking public opinion. — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026 However, some traders appeared unconvinced by the company’s plans, with its stock tanking almost 10% in trading on Monday, its steepest single-day drop in more than a year. — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 24 Aug. 2026 Smoke from these blazes is also tanking air quality in parts of the Northwest. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026 The Athletics have just two more wins than the Angels and are also tanking. — David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026 And that’s good, because there is zero indication the new leadership will be tanking, and good reason to think the Dolphins may be ‘over’ the betting over/under of 4 1/2 victories. — Greg Cote july 27, Miami Herald, 27 July 2026 But everything changed after a 1954 Life Magazine article, which argued that literacy rates were tanking because children were bored with Dick and Jane primers. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 11 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tanking

Verb

The reason this call matters is due to an emphasis by officials on flopping heading into the 2026-27 season.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
The tall foliage of bearded iris (Iris germanica) begins flopping early in the growing season.

— Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of flopping

Verb

His message delivery is no more successful than Todd’s, and now the entire conference is in danger of collapsing.

— Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026
The wounded man fled across the parking lot before collapsing near Seminary Drive, where responding officers attempted lifesaving measures.

— Giles Hudson, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of collapsing

Verb

The water main break was the latest in Los Angeles over the last few months as officials struggle with aging infrastructure and failing water systems that have caused major disruptions for motorists and residents.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
After years of bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, and racketeering, Capone went down not for murder or mayhem but for failing to pay taxes.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of failing

Verb

Teams then cyclize the peptide, folding a linear amino acid chain into a ring, and swap individual amino acids for more stable alternatives.

— Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
For starters, the amino acid must be compatible with the backbone folding up into its planned structure.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of folding

Verb

But while most young people are struggling to land their first opportunity, some have jumped the line by building their own small businesses and startups—and young founders are now ramping up hiring even as companies across industries slow theirs.

— Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
The film includes flashbacks to his time in the war and features a parallel story about his young carer struggling to make ends meet.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggling

Verb

Another group of fourth graders in Texas came up with the idea to deploy AI to identify and locate missing students in an emergency like a fire or school lockdown.

— Kiryn Hoffman, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Days into their expedition, the team searching for Amelia Earhart’s missing plane is battling severe weather — and racing to identify a mysterious object that could finally solve the aviator's disappearance.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of missing

Verb

Russia has been bombing Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, forcing Ukraine to rely increasingly on river ports on the Danube and shipping routes close to the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania.

— Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
The United States began bombing Iran on February 28 with the goal of destroying the country’s nuclear program, its missile program, and even its government, only to fail spectacularly at each objective.

— Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of bombing

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tankers

tanking

tanks

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“Tanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tanking. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of tanking

verb

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