tank town

noun

: a small town

Examples of tank town in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Sugar Ray Robinson fighting in tank towns, Joe Louis refereeing wrestling matches and glad-handing at Las Vegas casinos—but no one could have predicted such a fate when Ali was Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. John Schulian, WSJ, 6 Oct. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tank town.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from the fact that trains stopped at such towns only to take on water

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tank town was in 1906

Dictionary Entries Near tank town

Cite this Entry

“Tank town.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tank%20town. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

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