noun
tailspin
noun
1
A steep, spiraling, uncontrolled descent of an aircraft.
"The stunt pilot deliberately put the plane into a tailspin before recovering."
2
A sudden, sharp decline or emotional collapse.
"The company's stock went into a tailspin after the scandal broke."
"He went into an emotional tailspin after losing his job."
How to Use Tailspin
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA dangerous spinning nosedive in a plane, or figuratively, a sudden sharp decline in something like a business, mood, or economy.
Common pairings
go into a tailspin
economic tailspin
emotional tailspin
Word Forms
tailspun past tense, tailspinned past tense, tailspins plural, tailspins singular
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The stunt pilot deliberately put the plane into a _____ before recovering.
Etymology
From tail plus spin, describing an aircraft spiraling downward tail-first.