tailspin

[ teyl-spin ]
/ ˈteɪlˌspɪn /

noun Also tail spin.

spin(def 23).
a sudden and helpless collapse into failure, confusion, or the like.

verb (used without object), tail·spinned, tail·spin·ning.

to take or experience a sudden and dramatic downturn: After the mill closes, the local economy may tailspin.

Origin of tailspin

First recorded in 1910–15; tail1 + spin

Words nearby tailspin

tailpipe, tailplane, tailrace, tails, tailskid, tailspin, tailstock, tailwater, tailwind, taimyr peninsula, tain

Example sentences from the Web for tail-spin

  • Introduce the concept of King Charles and Queen Camilla, and the numbers go into a tail-spin (even I get queasy).

    Republicans in the UK! |Tom Sykes |May 20, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

  • The motor made an uneven sound, threatening to stall, and the plane went into a tail-spin.

    Linda Carlton, Air Pilot |Edith Lavell

  • Vainly the pilot strove to avoid the nerve-racking "tail-spin."

    Billy Barcroft, R.N.A.S. |Percy F. Westerman

British Dictionary definitions for tail-spin

tailspin
/ (ˈteɪlˌspɪn) /

noun

aeronautics another name for spin (def. 16)
informal a state of confusion or panic

Idioms and Phrases with tail-spin

tailspin

see go into a tailspin.