tailspin
noun, verb
Forms tailspins tailspinning tailspun tailspinned
- noun (aviation) The rapid, uncontrollable descent of an aircraft in a steep spiral. “The loss of the third engine threw the plane into a tailspin.”
- noun (figuratively) A severe mental or emotional collapse; emotional breakdown. “Just hours after leaving the institution, she suffered another tailspin.”
- noun (figuratively) Any sharp, sustained, often uncontrollable descent or decline. “The present stock tailspin proves bankruptcy is imminent.”
- verb Of an aircraft: to go into a rapid, uncontrollable descent in a steep spiral.
- verb (figurative) To go into a sharp, sustained, often uncontrollable descent or decline.
Synonyms
Etymology
From tail + spin.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “tailspin”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details