verb
tank
To undergo a disastrous decline.
The company's stock tanks after it reports a huge loss.
Etymology
Tank developed an informal sense of failing badly or collapsing. The precise route to this dramatic-decline meaning is uncertain.
More examples
- Ticket sales are tanking despite the expensive advertising campaign.
- His approval rating tanked after the scandal.
- The restaurant's business has tanked since the factory closed.
Forms
tank · tanks · tanked · tanking