What it means
To tank has two linked lives. In games it means to soak up the enemy's hits so your team stays safe, the big armoured one taking the beating. Out in the world it flips to crashing or failing hard: the stock tanked, the film tanked, my mood tanked after the news.
Usage examples
"Send the big guy in first to tank while we flank."
"The share price tanked the moment the results came out."
"I've got the shield build, so I'll tank the boss and you lot burn it down."
"That restaurant was rammed for a month, then it just tanked once the hype died."
Where it comes from
It comes straight from the noun tank. By the 1970s and 80s, gamers were already using tank for the player or unit built to absorb damage for the group. The crash sense showed up in wider English later, especially in business and media, where tank means to plunge badly or flop hard.
This expression also appears in
