tailspin

noun

tail·​spin ˈtāl-ˌspin How to pronounce tailspin (audio)
1
2
: a mental or emotional letdown or collapse
3
: a sustained and usually severe decline or downturn
stock prices in a tailspin

Examples of tailspin in a Sentence

Stock prices are in a tailspin. The team went into a tailspin and lost six straight games.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
However, if the US were to default and for the first time in history fail to pay back those debts the value of government bonds would depreciate and the global market would enter a tailspin. Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024 Both Aer Lingus, which launched from Bradley to Dublin in 2016 and Air Canada suspended service in the pandemic as air travel, especially by businesses, went into a tailspin. Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 18 Dec. 2024 Buying gifts for your parents, siblings, and best friend might be doable, but adding your 37 first cousins to that list could put you on course for a Christmas Eve tailspin that not even the strongest of nog can assuage. Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 9 Dec. 2024 The 2016 theft sent the entire crypto ecosystem into a tailspin and the value of bitcoin fell about 20% within hours. Rachel Brodsky, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tailspin 

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tailspin was in 1917

Dictionary Entries Near tailspin

Cite this Entry

“Tailspin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailspin. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

tailspin

noun
tail·​spin ˈtā(ə)l-ˌspin How to pronounce tailspin (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on tailspin

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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