fishtail
verb
fish·tail
ˈfish-ˌtāl 
fishtailed; fishtailing; fishtails
1
: to swing the tail of an airplane from side to side to reduce speed especially when landing
2
: to have the rear end slide from side to side out of control while moving forward
the car fishtailed on the icy curve
Examples of fishtail in a Sentence
The car fishtailed on the icy curve.
Recent Examples on the Web
Nevis Creek, a noisy, shallow stream with occasional deep pools full of lazy Dolly Varden trout, fishtailed back and forth from wall to wall of its canyon.
—
Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2024
And Kerry grew tired of manipulative and erratic behavior, and lies that fishtailed from the banal to the bizarre.
—Sean Williams, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2023
But, as Fox has fishtailed around trying to find a way to accommodate Trump while asserting its own primacy, some might say that, whoever’s been in charge, it’s felt like a post-Rupert network for years.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 21 Sep. 2023
Oregon State Police said a Ford F550 was traveling west on Highway 6 near milepost 35 when its unloaded flatbed trailer began to fishtail and broke away from its coupling.
—oregonlive, 19 Nov. 2021
See all Example Sentences for fishtail 
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.
Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2024
And Kerry grew tired of manipulative and erratic behavior, and lies that fishtailed from the banal to the bizarre.
—Sean Williams, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2023
But, as Fox has fishtailed around trying to find a way to accommodate Trump while asserting its own primacy, some might say that, whoever’s been in charge, it’s felt like a post-Rupert network for years.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 21 Sep. 2023
Oregon State Police said a Ford F550 was traveling west on Highway 6 near milepost 35 when its unloaded flatbed trailer began to fishtail and broke away from its coupling.
—oregonlive, 19 Nov. 2021
See all Example Sentences for fishtail
Dictionary Entries Near fishtail
Cite this Entry
“Fishtail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fishtail. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share