51Թ

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View synonyms for

tailspin

[teyl-spin]

noun

  1. spin.

  2. a sudden and helpless collapse into failure, confusion, or the like.



verb (used without object)

tailspinned, tailspinning 
  1. to take or experience a sudden and dramatic downturn.

    After the mill closes, the local economy may tailspin.

tailspin

/ ˈٱɪˌɪ /

noun

  1. aeronautics another name for spin

  2. informala state of confusion or panic

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of tailspin1

First recorded in 1910–15; tail 1 + spin
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Idioms and Phrases

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

So upset that Attila — a Led Zeppelin-inspired metal band, according to the New York Times — broke up and Joel started boozing, which sent him into a tailspin.

From

But one twin's diagnosis with acrania — a rare, fatal congenital disorder characterized by the full or partial absence of cranial bones — sent Brandt's world into a grief-stricken tailspin.

From

A few strategically placed boats, a handful of divers and a couple of on-land sabotage teams could send the world into a vicious tailspin.

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A loss to Ireland in Dublin last weekend took the tailspin to six in seven matches.

From

And suddenly things have started to look very dicey there "where women have outpaced men by 13 points in the early vote which has sent the campaign into a tailspin during the past two days."

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