tailspin
noun
tail·spin
ˈtāl-ˌspin 
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
What Happens Next Musk's X announcement on the weekend—as well as the subsequent email, which did not include the threat of termination—sent federal agencies into a tailspin and culminated in the OPM telling agency heads on Monday that compliance with Musk's demand was voluntary.
—
Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
This was broadly celebrated online, with people also creating memes around his desire:
The other big event that sent many online into a tailspin was when Jane Fonda accepted her SAG Lifetime Achievement award.
—Callum Booth, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
The closure sent us and about 40 other families into a tailspin.
—Courtney E. Martin, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025
An executive order, an uncertain future Two weeks into the spring semester, the White House announced that all federal loans and grants would be paused, sending the bachelor’s program into a tailspin.
—Troy Aidan Sambajon, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tailspin
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Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
This was broadly celebrated online, with people also creating memes around his desire:
The other big event that sent many online into a tailspin was when Jane Fonda accepted her SAG Lifetime Achievement award.
—Callum Booth, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
The closure sent us and about 40 other families into a tailspin.
—Courtney E. Martin, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025
An executive order, an uncertain future Two weeks into the spring semester, the White House announced that all federal loans and grants would be paused, sending the bachelor’s program into a tailspin.
—Troy Aidan Sambajon, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tailspin
Cite this Entry
“Tailspin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailspin. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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tailspin
noun
tail·spin
ˈtā(ə)l-ˌspin
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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