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tailspin

[ teyl-spin ]

/ ˈteɪlˌspɪn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR tailspin ON THESAURUS.COM

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 tailspin

Shockingly, it was not the mass gay-and-straight wedding that sent some of his peers into a tailspin that bothered Beck.

He's Back! Glenn Beck Says Obama Will Throw Opponents in Internment Camps |Caitlin Dickson |February 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
So there we have it: another lewd, dull-witted performance has sent America into a tailspin of indignation.

Miley Cyrus: The Nadir of American Civilization? |Tunku Varadarajan |August 28, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Russia-U.S. relations were in a tailspin when Obama entered office.

Obama: Eisenhower Republican? |Noah Kristula-Green |July 26, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
A glass of wine may help you go down for the night, but a few too many can send your sleep cycle into a tailspin.

Why Booze Ruins Women's Sleep |Kate Dailey |February 21, 2011 |DAILY BEAST

She got him back on the meds, she said, but he remained in a tailspin.

David Kenney and Alaska's Bizarre Murder Case |Winston Ross |November 10, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
Yes, he had all but gone into a tailspin, and that with his motor thundering at its best.

Riddle of the Storm |Roy J. Snell
Many a time Ive seen you pull your plane out of a tailspin and make a perfect landing.

Gypsies of the Air |Bess Moyer
As she stepped inside this gigantic barrel her mind went into a tailspin.

Hour of Enchantment |Roy J. Snell
She side-slipped, her nose dipped down, an she went into a tailspin.

Famous Flyers |David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
Instantly the heavy plane went into a tailspin and plunged earthward.

Riddle of the Storm |Roy J. Snell

British Dictionary definitions for tailspin

tailspin

/ (ˈteɪlˌspɪn) /

noun

aeronautics another name for spin (def. 16)

informal a state of confusion or panic

Idioms and Phrases with tailspin

tailspin

see go into a tailspin.