tank, n.¹ meanings, etymology and more
T. Herbert W. Bruton E. Terry J. Fryer Sir T. Munro M. M. Sherwood G. Chesney D. W. Carnegie ‘T. Collins’ C. E. W. Bean
tank, n.¹ meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary
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tanknoun1

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Earlier version

tank, n.¹ in OED Second Edition (1989)

Factsheet

What does the noun tank mean?

There are ten meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun tank. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

tank has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the noun tank?

About 20occurrences per million words in modern written English

17500.1717600.2817700.6217800.617900.7818001.218101.118201.818302.418402.618503.718604.618706.418807.3189010190016191025192025193024194045195034196027197024198027199024200022201022

How is the noun tank pronounced?

British English

tank

U.S. English

tank

Where does the noun tank come from?

The earliest known use of the noun tank is in the mid 1600s.

OED's earliest evidence for tank is from 1634, in the writing of Thomas Herbert, traveller and government official.

Perhaps (i) a borrowing from a language of India. Or perhaps (ii) a borrowing from Portuguese.

Etymons: Portuguese tanque.

Nearby entries

Etymology

Summary

Of uncertain origin. Perhaps (i) a borrowing from a language of India. Or perhaps (ii) a borrowing from Portuguese.

Etymon: Portuguese tanque.

In sense 1, perhaps immediately from an Indian vernacular: compare Gujarati tānkh an underground reservoir for water (Shakespear), ṭānki a reservoir of water, a small well (Wilson); Marathi ṭānken…

In sense 1, perhaps immediately from an Indian vernacular: compare Gujarati tānkh an underground reservoir for water (Shakespear), ṭānki a reservoir of water, a small well (Wilson); Marathi ṭānken, tāken, a reservoir of water, a tank (Wilson); tānkā a cistern of stone inside a house, etc., a reservoir for rainwater: words which some would connect with Sanskrit taḍāga pond, lake, pool; others think that they are all derived < Portuguese tanque pond = Spanish estanque, French étang < Latin stagnum pond, pool, with which at least the Indian words were identified by the Portuguese, who even in the Roteiro de Vasco da Gama and through the 16th cent. applied tanque to the Indian reservoirs, called also in French estang (Pyrard de Laval c1610). The 17th cent. English forms tanque and tanke appear to be taken from the Portuguese; tanck, tank, on the other hand, with Italian tancho (Varthema 1510), may have been from Gujarati tānkh. As to the English use in senses 1b, 2, it is not clear whether this came from Anglo-Indian usage, or was immediately related to Portuguese tanque. It could scarcely arise out of earlier English or Scots stank ‘pond, fish-pond, stagnant pool, ditch’, since this never in sense approached that of tank.

Meaning & use

Quotations

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Contents

Earlier version

tank, n.¹ in OED Second Edition (1989)

1.a.i.

In India, A pool or lake, or an artificial reservoir or cistern, used for purposes of irrigation, and as a storage-place for drinking-water.

Tancks or couered ponds of water, fild by the beneficiall raines, for the vse and drink of Trauellers.

T. Herbert, Relation of Some Yeares Trauaile 51

A very faire Tanke,..a square pit paved with gray Marble.

W. Bruton, Newes from W.-Indies 11

Besides their Rivers,..they have many Ponds, which they call Tanques,..fill'd with water when that abundance of Rain fals.

E. Terry, Voyage to East-India 105

Oblong stone Tank... In this all of both Sexes Wash (this Solemnity being called the Jatry, or Washing).

J. Fryer, New Account of East-India & Persia 159

One crop under a tank, in Mysore or the Carnatic, yields more than three here.

Sir T. Munro in G. R. Gleig, Life (1830) vol. I. iv. 241

Near to the mosque were many trees, and a stone tank, full of clear water.

M. M. Sherwood, Stories Church Catechism (ed. 4) xxiv. 187

The greater part of the irrigation in southern India is effected by means of tanks... These tanks in fact resemble the reservoirs for water-works now to be found in most parts of England... Artificial lakes..they more properly deserve to be called.

G. Chesney in 19th Century November 610

The tank covers seventy-two acres, and is one of the largest in India.

Daily Telegraph 16 January (Cassell)

A reservoir for water. Obsolete. rare.

= conservatory, n. 5. Obsolete. rare.

= reservoir, n. (in various senses). Now rare.

A reservoir of water. Obsolete.

In India, A pool or lake, or an artificial reservoir or cistern, used for purposes of irrigation, and as a storage-place for drinking-water.

A place in which water is collected; a reservoir; a cistern, a tank. Also (occasionally): a receptacle for any liquid.

A lake or large pool, natural or man-made, used to store water for public and industrial use, for irrigation, etc. Also more generally: a large…

A small reservoir or tank in which rainwater is collected for drinking.

A natural or man-made lake, pool, etc., used to collect and store water, esp. one forming part of a water supply. Now somewhat rare.

A tank designed to receive and collect water or other fluids, forming part of a water or sewage system, a processing plant, etc.

(As impounding reservoir, a reservoir whose function is to store sufficient water to ensure an uninterrupted supply in times of relative drought).

A large, man-made or natural reservoir, which collects rainfall or surface water, esp. one which stores water for public use or contains…

A container built to collect or conserve water from a natural spring.

In Australia, an artificial reservoir designed to hold water for livestock; U.S. dialect, an artificial pond or lake.

1.a.ii.

In Australia, an artificial reservoir designed to hold water for livestock; U.S. dialect, an artificial pond or lake.

I append a table showing cost and contents of Government tanks excavated at the base of granite rocks between Southern Cross and Coolgardie.

D. W. Carnegie, Spinifex & Sand 81

On a well-managed station..a tank is, whenever possible, excavated on the margin of a swamp.

‘T. Collins’, Such is Life 265

There is only one boundary rider's hut in it and one ‘tank’ of water. The tank may have dried up.

C. E. W. Bean, ‘Dreadnought’ of Darling i. 7

Tank, an artificial lake. ‘Most west Texas towns get their water from tanks.’

Dialect Notes vol. 4 229

I strongly object to the back country habit of calling holes scooped out of the ground tanks.

F. Clune, Roaming round Darling xiv. 121

Tank is cow country for a small pond, made by damming a ravine or fixing a hollow to catch and hold rain water.

W. Foster-Harris, Look of Old West ix. 273

In Australia, every farmer is interested in constructing and maintaining tanks and dams.

Australian Encyclopedia vol. I. 133/2

Now chiefly English regional. (a) A body of still water, usually of artificial formation; a pond; cf. pond, n. 1a, 1c. (b) A body of water confined…

A small body of still water of artificial formation, made either by excavating a hollow in the ground or by embanking and damming up a watercourse in…

A pool, a pond, esp. a fish pond. Also (Roman History): a pool for swimming or bathing. Now chiefly historical.

A pond, a pool, esp. one for swimming or bathing. Cf. piscina, n. 1.

transferred. A pond of any kind; also, a moat.

A small pond or pool. dialect.

A small pond.

A pond, esp. one used to water cattle.

In Australia, an artificial reservoir designed to hold water for livestock; U.S. dialect, an artificial pond or lake.

†a. ? (see quot. 1627); b. U.S. a whirlpool, a pond; c. Canadian and Australian slang, a term of abuse (cf. suck, n.¹ 12); hence as v. intransitive…

A reservoir for water. Obsolete. rare.

= conservatory, n. 5. Obsolete. rare.

= reservoir, n. (in various senses). Now rare.

A reservoir of water. Obsolete.

In India, A pool or lake, or an artificial reservoir or cistern, used for purposes of irrigation, and as a storage-place for drinking-water.

A place in which water is collected; a reservoir; a cistern, a tank. Also (occasionally): a receptacle for any liquid.

A lake or large pool, natural or man-made, used to store water for public and industrial use, for irrigation, etc. Also more generally: a large…

A small reservoir or tank in which rainwater is collected for drinking.

A natural or man-made lake, pool, etc., used to collect and store water, esp. one forming part of a water supply. Now somewhat rare.

A tank designed to receive and collect water or other fluids, forming part of a water or sewage system, a processing plant, etc.

(As impounding reservoir, a reservoir whose function is to store sufficient water to ensure an uninterrupted supply in times of relative drought).

A large, man-made or natural reservoir, which collects rainfall or surface water, esp. one which stores water for public use or contains…

A container built to collect or conserve water from a natural spring.

In Australia, an artificial reservoir designed to hold water for livestock; U.S. dialect, an artificial pond or lake.

1.b.

A natural pool or pond; a ‘stank’. dialect and U.S. (Quot. 1678 perhaps belongs to 1a.)

Tank, (old word) a little Pool or Pond.

E. Phillips, New World of Words (new edition)

Tank, a piece of deep water, natural as well as artificial.

J. T. Brockett, Glossary of North Country Words

They took a walk..to the ‘Pool of David’, a square tank at the bottom of the valley full of rain water.

M. E. Herbert, Cradle Lands vii. 169

Here and there great hollows filled with rain-water. These places are called ‘tanks’ by the ranchmen.

American Antiquarian vol. 12 201

Drive your horse into the tank.

Dialect Notes (American Dialect Society) vol. 1 426 (E.D.D.)

Applied to a pond, or a natural reservoir or depression containing water.

Probably: = cistern, n.; (perhaps also) a tray, a stand for a decanter; = coaster, n. 6.

A natural pool or pond; a ‘stank’. dialect and U.S. (Quot. 1678 perhaps belongs to 1a.)

A place or area in which water naturally collects in large quantities.

A pit of, or for, water; spec. (a) a well or hole sunk in the ground to procure water; (b) a pit for storing water; (c) a pit into which water or…

2.a.

An artificial receptacle, usually rectangular or cylindrical and often of plate-iron, used for storing water, oil, or other liquids in large quantities. Also spec. a water receptacle (with transparent sides) in which to keep fish; an aquarium.

Here's plentiful provision for you, rascal, sallating in the Garden, and water in the tanck.

J. Dryden, Don Sebastian ii. ii. 39

Tank,..a Cistern to keep Water in.

Phillips's New World of Words (new edition)

The ice in the tanks was this day reduced.

J. Ross, Narrative of Second Voyage North-west Passage xxiv. 234

The stop-cocks..being opened, the water from the tank will flow freely into the vessels O and H.

C. R. Goring & A. Pritchard, Micrographia 197

The tanks in the new Fish House just erected in the Society's Gardens in the Regent's Park.

P. H. Gosse, Aquarium i. 3

Tanks to hold rain~water require constant inspection.

E. A. Parkes, Manual of Practical Hygiene (ed. 3) 12

Other engines..carry their water in a tank (called a saddle-tank) which rests on the top of the boiler.

Young Gentleman's Ann. December 28

Tank, a subterranean reservoir into which a pump delivers water for another pump to raise.

Transactions of American Institute of Mining Engineers 1880–1 vol. 9 185

The ordinary oblong tank..containing four glass sides, is both ornamental and useful.

G. C. Bateman, Fresh-water Aquaria i. 6

The gas tank was fifty feet in diameter.

New York Tribune 17 October 12/3 (Funk)

The tank will look unfinished without a couple of the beautiful Angel fish.

M. G. Elwin, First Steps in Aquarium Keeping iv. 27

The breeding tank should be cleaned thoroughly and filled with seasoned water to a depth of 8 inches.

R. F. O'Connell, Freshwater Aquarium 127

If an aquarium is to be purely ornamental, it is better to select one larger tank.

I. Petrovický, Tropical Aquarium Fishes 13

A cask, tun, or other vessel used for holding or storing water, beer, or other liquid; usually one of some size in which a liquor, esp. beer or…

Any article designed to serve as a receptacle for a liquid or other substance, usually one of circular section and made of some durable material; esp.…

An artificial reservoir for the storage of water; esp. a watertight tank in a high part of a building, whence the taps in various parts of it are…

A lake or large pool, natural or man-made, used to store water for public and industrial use, for irrigation, etc. Also more generally: a large…

An artificial receptacle, usually rectangular or cylindrical and often of plate-iron, used for storing water, oil, or other liquids in large…

A tank in which a fluid, esp. fuel, is held under pressure.

A tank for storage (e.g. of petrol).

A collapsible rubber container used for temporary storage of large quantities of liquid.

A place or enclosure, a piece of ground or stretch of water, specially adapted or prepared for the keeping of living animals under their normal…

An artificial pond or tank (the latter usually with glass sides), in which aquatic plants and animals are kept alive for purposes of observation and…

An artificial receptacle, usually rectangular or cylindrical and often of plate-iron, used for storing water, oil, or other liquids in large…

A tank to keep a whale in.

A seawater aquarium in which large sea creatures can be kept and observed, esp. for public entertainment; an establishment having such an aquarium.

An aquarium for large marine animals.

A zoo designed for the exhibition and preservation of marine animals; an oceanarium.

A large aquarium in which dolphins are kept and trained, usually for public entertainment.

2.b.

The fuel container of a motor vehicle.

With the gravity-fed carburetter the tank is fitted in the body of the car.

R. J. Mecredy in A. C. Harmsworth et al., Motors & Motor-driving (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) vii. 117

Not more than 60 gallons of petroleum spirit, including that contained in any vehicle fuel tank, may be kept in any one storage place.

L. D. Kitchin, Road Transport Law 19/1

‘Are we low on petrol, Ivor?’ ‘No, I had a full tank when I picked you up.’

K. Amis, Jake's Thing xxiv. 244

The fuel container of a motor vehicle.

A container for the fuel supply in a motor vehicle, aircraft, etc.; a petrol tank.

3.

Short for tank-engine n., tank-steamer n., etc.

They were picked up in a very exhausted condition by a German oil tank from New York to Rotterdam.

Daily News 23 September 3/3

Trains hauled..by a mammoth tank.

Westminster Gazette 31 December 3/2

A railway engine which carries the fuel and water receptacles on its own framing and not in a separate tender.

= tank-engine, n.

Short for tank-engine, n., tank-steamer, n., etc.

A water tank located on either side of the boiler of a steam locomotive; (also) a small steam locomotive with water tanks disposed in this way.

Short for tank-engine, n., tank-steamer, n., etc.

A seagoing vessel fitted with tanks for carrying oil or other liquids in bulk. Cf. tank-boat, n., tank-steamer, n., tank-ship, n.

A large ship with special tanks for the transport of oil; a road or rail vehicle for transporting oil.

Very large crude (oil) carrier.

Ultra-large crude carrier.

4.

U.S. slang. A cell in a police station, spec. one in which several prisoners (esp. drunks) are held.

I glanced at the number on the cell door. It was..34 Tank.

D. Lowrie, My Life in Prison iii. 30

In our tank..there were three Chicago gangsters waiting to be returned to that city.

‘J. Spenser’, Limey xvii. 256

The day a police reporter had to pick him out of the collection in the drunk tank.

A. R. Bosworth, San Francisco Murders 264

Still relatively blissful but due for an unhappy awakening, some of the 1,200 Angelenos charged with drunkenness sleep it off in the tank.

Life 8 January 24 (caption)

It gets boring after a while being thrown into the tank, always with that nervous feeling that this time the old man won't come through with the necessary bail.

P. G. Wodehouse, Frozen Assets iii. 50

And then tossed into the drunk tank like a common criminal.

L. Deighton, XPD xxv. 210

U.S. slang. A cell in a police station, spec. one in which several prisoners (esp. drunks) are held.

Additional sense (1993)

Short for tank n.1. colloquial.

Seipel wore a tank textured with vertical ribs.

Washington Post 6 July c7/4

I created a complete line of sports clothes—everything from t-shirts and tanks to sweats and shorts.

Flex December 57/1

A man's tunic or coat, originally a garment reaching to the knees or lower, sometimes forming the only body-garment, but more usually worn with a…

A ragged upper garment.

A kind of tunic or upper garment; also a rich stuff or fabric used for this garment.

An outer coat or garment, commonly of rich material, worn by people of rank of both sexes; often worn by armed men over their armour, and having…

A man's short coat or jacket; a sleeved doublet, esp. worn beneath (or as) armour.

A small tunic; also figurative a wrapping, covering, integument. Obsolete.

A tunic, frequently worn under the hauberk.

A short coat, cloak, or tabard of coarse material worn in the 14th and 15th centuries.

A close-fitting tunic or doublet; esp. one worn by knights under the hauberk, sometimes of thick stuff and padded; later, a sleeveless surcoat…

A man's tight-fitting undercoat, usually padded and worn under a doublet and over a shirt; (also) a padded jerkin worn under armour for…

An over-garment for out-door use.

A garment or front panel, sometimes richly decorated, worn in the 15th and 16th centuries by both men and women beneath an open coat or gown; a…

= gabardine, n. & adj.

A garment (usually tight-fitting) covering the body as distinct from the limbs.

A close-fitting body-garment or jacket formerly worn by men and women; cf. trussing-bolster, n., trussing-coat, n. Obsolete.

A short tunic, cassock, or jacket worn by men, later also by women.

Any of various close-fitting garments; spec. (a) a knee-length, tight-fitting style of coat worn by men in the second half of the 17th cent. and…

Padded clothing in front of the belly.

(a) A sleeveless garment of some length worn by men beneath the coat. (Introduced by Charles II: see first quot.) Now Historical. (b) A short garment…

A man's juste-au-corps.

Sometimes used for a woman's outer garment; esp. in modern use, a stout buttoned overcoat.

A garment worn over other clothes, an outer garment; a mantle.

A rectangular garment, with a tassel of twisted and knotted cord attached to each of the four corners, and a large hole in the centre for a person's…

An article of women's attire, formerly an outer garment, later worn under a gown of lace or similar material. Also transferred, an infant's…

A warm wrap or overgarment, as a cloak or similar article of dress. Also in figurative contexts. Cf. trot-cosy, n.

A loose-fitting overgarment of various forms, traditionally worn by esp. Arab men and women. Cf. abaya, n.

A type of woman's cloak (see quot. 1800).

A long, loose-fitting overgarment, typically made of wool, traditionally worn in some Arab countries; = aba, n.¹

In Spain, esp. Andalusia, and Spanish-speaking countries: an overskirt or short-sleeved overdress, typically black in colour, worn outdoors by…

A tassel of twisted and knotted cord attached to the corners of the tallith (tallith, n.) or arba kanfot; such tassels collectively. Hence (with sin…

A close-fitting garment with sleeves, formerly worn by both sexes.

A length of cotton cloth, worn as an outer garment by Indigenous peoples of northern and central Africa (see quot. 1889), and in some regions used…

A long outer garment worn by Turkish women.

Men's trousers or shorts; boy's short trousers. Usually in derogatory contexts. Now rare.

A tightly-fitting upper garment or tunic worn by women from ancient times; also sometimes by men, esp. the tunic or surcoat made shorter in front…

A vest without sleeves, leaving the shoulders bare; worn by artisans and slaves.

The outer garment worn by the ancient Greeks: ‘an oblong piece of cloth thrown over the left shoulder, and fastened either over or under the right’…

A shirt or jacket forming part of a military uniform. Chiefly U.S. A straight-cut hip-length coat or jacket worn as part of a soldier's dress or…

A kind of loose outer jacket or shirt reaching to the hips, made of canvas, serge, coarse linen, etc., and worn by sailors, truckmen, etc.; (also)…

Fashion. The part of a woman's jacket or tunic which hangs below the waist; a jacket or tunic having such a design; †a kind of overskirt resembling…

= exomis, n.

Dressmaking. The French word for any ready-made article of attire, used particularly, in reference to fashionable female apparel, of mantles…

A thick quilted woollen over-garment worn by sailors in cold weather. Also lammy coat, lammy suit.

Used vaguely or typically for an upper garment.

Australian (originally Tasmania). A hard-wearing woollen outer garment, now usually a jacket or coat, typically grey-blue in colour. Also: the…

(See quot. 1900).

Originally: an item of clothing for women worn on the upper body, and designed as part of a dress or gown in which the bodice is separate from the…

A lightweight top worn in hot sunny weather, typically having thin shoulder straps instead of sleeves and often a low-cut neck and back.

A white outer garment worn as camouflage by Inuit hunters of Labrador.

A sleeveless, collarless, and buttonless garment for the upper body; spec. (a) a close-fitting garment with a scooped neck, similar to a vest (vest…

A Vietnamese woman's high-necked tunic with ankle-length panels at front and back, worn over trousers.

Short for tank, n.¹. colloquial.

Additional sense (2014)

colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.). to go in the tank.

a.

Sport (originally and chiefly Boxing). To lose intentionally, esp. as part of a pre-arranged plan; to throw a fight, match, etc. Cf. tank v.2 6, to take a dive at dive n. Additions.

A game guy may be knocked cold or he may be killed, but he doesn't go in the tank as they say down there in the bend, when they mean to say a fighter takes a dive.

Galveston (Texas) Daily News 7 February 9/1

I've got to have all the money I can scrape up and the best way to do it is to make a deal..for you to go in the tank and then bet all we got against you.

D. Hammett, His Brother's Keeper in Collier's 17 February 43/2

The game began under a cloud of suspicion because two Giants..had admitted only hours before the kickoff that they had been offered bribes to go in the tank.

Chicago Tribune 6 July iii. 5/4

She threw th' fuckin' case, went in the tank, intentionally bricked it.

S. J. Cannell, Tin Collectors (2002) 156

‘My brother Angelo could fix you up with some easy fights... Easy enough to win.’ ‘These guys going in the tank?’ ‘Sure.’

R. B. Parker, Double Play (2005) iv. 28

transitive. colloquial (originally U.S.). To lose (a contest, race, etc.) intentionally, esp. in return for a bribe.

colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.). to go in the tank. Sport (originally and chiefly Boxing). To lose intentionally, esp. as part of a…

b.

To go badly wrong; to fail, deteriorate; spec. (of an economy, share price, etc.) = tank v.2 Additions. Also to be in the tank: to be in a failing or floundering condition.

Nothing is funny in the market these days. Wall Street is in the tank.

Washington Post 28 August b1/2

‘We went in the tank, again,’ Werenich said of his failure to qualify in recent division playdowns.

Toronto Star (Nexis) 14 January b2

If enough of them sell it, the stock goes in the tank, and the next thing you know a raider is taking out full page ads.

Vital Speeches 1 August 621/2

The whole theme business is in the tank.

New York Post (Nexis) 25 January 33

Some of the guys' personal lives started going in the tank.

D. Seraphine & A. Mitchell, Street Player 198

intransitive. To deteriorate; to spoil; to perish. Obsolete.

figurative. To wax faint or feeble in any characteristic quality; to fade, fail, decay. Obsolete.

intransitive. To become or grow worse, deteriorate, fall off; to diminish; = impair, v. 2. Also with up.

intransitive. Of plants or their parts: to die, to wither. Obsolete.

intransitive. To spoil, become injured, ‘go bad’.

intransitive. To lose brightness, quality, or strength; to deteriorate, decline.

intransitive. Of a substance: to deteriorate in condition; to lose force or strength; to become flat, insipid, or inactive. rare.

intransitive. To lose the valuable properties or qualities; to become unfit for use; to deteriorate; to go bad, decay. Also transferred.

to go bad: (esp. of food) to decay, putrefy, ‘go off’. Cf. sense A.I.1a.

to go wrong. Of food, etc.: To get into bad or unsound condition; to become unwholesome.

colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.). to go in the tank. To go badly wrong; to fail, deteriorate; spec. (of an economy, share price, etc.) = tank…

intransitive. Stock Market. = to look downward 2 at phrasal verbs 2. Now rare.

intransitive. Stock Market. Of a commodity or its price: to decrease in value. Also in extended use. Cf. to look down 3 at phrasal verbs 3. Now rare.

intransitive. Stock Market. Of a commodity: to decrease in value. Also in extended use. Cf. to look up 6 at phrasal verbs 6.

spec. intransitive. Finance. Of a stock, commodity, or currency: to increase (rapidly) in price after a decline. Of trading in a commodity: to…

Commerce. To decline in price. Also with down, away, off.

give way Of stocks and shares: To fall in price.

Of stocks, values, etc.: to fall heavily or suddenly. Also with †off. (Cf. slump, n.² 1.)

Commerce. Of prices that vary with a market, as share prices, rates of exchange, etc.: to become firm (firm, adj. A.7a); to rise (slightly), esp…

intransitive. Of a stock, share or commodity: to increase or decrease in value. Also used of a company or market whose shares are increasing or…

intransitive. Of stocks and shares: to rise suddenly in price or value. Cf. spurt, n.¹ 2d.

intransitive. To do, carry out, execute, or accomplish what one has to do or has undertaken; to carry out one's function, to do one's part; to do…

Of share prices, profits, etc.: to fall in value or size, esp. slightly.

intransitive. Stock Market. Of a stock, commodity, or market: to dip (temporarily) in value. Cf. pullback, n. A.2e.

colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.). to go in the tank. To go badly wrong; to fail, deteriorate; spec. (of an economy, share price, etc.) = tank…

Pronunciation

British English

tank

U.S. English

tank

Consonants

ppea

ttea

kkey

bbuy

ddye

ɡguy

tʃchore

dʒjay

ffore

θthaw

ssore

ʃshore

vvee

ðthee

zzee

ʒbeige

xloch

hhay

llay

ɬrhingyll

rray

wway

jyore

mmay

nnay

ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence <petal> /ˈpɛtl/ but <petally> /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

Vowels

iːfleece

ihappy

ɪkit

ɛdress

atrap, bath

ɑːstart, palm, bath

ɒlot

ɔːthought, force

ʌstrut

ʊfoot

uːgoose

əletter

əːnurse

ɪənear

ɛːsquare

ʊəcure

eɪface

ʌɪpride

aʊmouth

əʊgoat

ɔɪvoice

ãgratin

ɒ̃salon

ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)

ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

Other symbols

The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.

The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.

Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

Consonants

ppea

ttea

kkey

bbuy

ddye*

ɡguy

tʃchore

dʒjay

ffore

θthaw

ssore

ʃshore

vvee

ðthee

zzee

ʒbeige

xloch

hhay

llay

rray

wway

jyore

mmay

nnay

ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in <bitter>

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence <petal> /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but <petally> /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

Vowels

ifleece, happy

ɪkit

ɛdress

ætrap, bath

ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought

ɑrstart

ɔcloth, thought

ɔrnorth, force

ʊfoot

ugoose

əstrut, comma

ərnurse, letter

ɪ(ə)rnear

ɛ(ə)rsquare

ʊ(ə)rcure

eɪface

aɪpride

aʊmouth

oʊgoat

ɔɪvoice

ɑ̃gratin

æ̃salon

ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)

ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

Other symbols

The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.

The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.

Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

gguy

jjay

yyore

chchore

khloch

shshore

ththaw

dhthee

zhbeige

Vowels

atrap

ahpalm

airsquare

arstart

arrcarry (British only)

awthought

ayface

a(ng)gratin

edress

eefleece

eerdeer

errmerry

ikit

ighpride

irrmirror

olot (British only)

ohgoat

oogoose

oorcure

orforce

orrsorry (British only)

owmouth

oyvoice

o(ng)salon

ustrut

uhletter

urnurse

urrhurry

uufoot

Forms

Variant forms

1600s tanke, tanque, tancke, tanck, 1600s– tank.

Frequency

tank is one of the 5,000 most common words in modern written English. It is similar in frequency to words like behavioural, excess, laser, nearby, and sweep.

It typically occurs about 20 times per million words in modern written English.

tank is in frequency band 6, which contains words occurring between 10 and 100 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

Frequency of tank, n.¹, 1750–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Decade Frequency per million words 17500.1717600.2817700.6217800.617900.7818001.218101.118201.818302.418402.618503.718604.618706.418807.3189010190016191025192025193024194045195034196027197024198027199024200022201022

Frequency of tank, n.¹, 2017–2023

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.

Period Frequency per million words Oct.–Dec. 201722Jan.–Mar. 201823Apr.–June 201822July–Sept. 201824Oct.–Dec. 201821Jan.–Mar. 201923Apr.–June 201924July–Sept. 201926Oct.–Dec. 201921Jan.–Mar. 202020Apr.–June 202022July–Sept. 202021Oct.–Dec. 202021Jan.–Mar. 202121Apr.–June 202124July–Sept. 202123Oct.–Dec. 202122Jan.–Mar. 202232Apr.–June 202232July–Sept. 202227Oct.–Dec. 202225Jan.–Mar. 202343

Compounds & derived words

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All compounds & derived words

Curated compounds

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All compounds & derived words

Curated compounds

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A tank in which live fish and other aquatic creatures and plants are kept, typically having a cuboid shape and transparent sides.

A tank for storing hot water; spec. such a tank which heats and supplies water for a building, etc.

A railway engine which carries the fuel and water receptacles on its own framing and not in a separate tender.

A tank for storing a gas or mixture of gases; spec. a container or structure for holding natural gas (cf. gas, n.¹ A.I.4).

A tank in a ship, submarine, etc., which is used to hold liquid ballast (usually water).

(See quot. 1861).

A tank in which a fluid, esp. fuel, is held under pressure.

A sleeveless, collarless, and buttonless garment for the upper body; spec. (a) a close-fitting garment with a scooped neck, similar to a vest (vest…

Chiefly to tank up. transitive. To fill the tank of (a vehicle) with fuel; to refuel. Also absol., and intransitive for passive. colloquial.

Plate-iron of a thickness suitable for making tanks.

Tanks collectively; a provision or system of storage-tanks, sometimes with special reference to its capacity. Also attributive.

a. A lightproof container used for developing film, in which the film, plate, etc., is exposed to developing solution; b. (in thin layer and paper…

a. (In certain steam railway engines) a water tank that straddles the boiler; (also) a tank engine of this type (= saddle tank engine, n.); b. each…

A tank in which water or another liquid, such as oil, is exposed to the sun's rays; sun pan, n.

A tank designed to receive and collect water or other fluids, forming part of a water or sewage system, a processing plant, etc.

A tank in a large ship used for water ballast or fuel oil, either extending from the bottom of the hull to the weather deck, or formed by dividing…

A tank for leaching metallic ores.

= tank-engine, n.

See quot.

(See quot. 1970).

A nematoid worm inhabiting the mud of Indian tanks, and believed to be the young of the guinea worm.

a. A pit or tank containing mud; (Oil Industry) a portable metal tank used to hold drilling fluid; b. an earth dam.

A tank or trough containing a supply of water for a locomotive; a supply trough; also, a tank containing drinking-water; U.S. a trough in which food…

A large indoor tank containing a static boat in which a rower's technique is practised and monitored.

As much as a tank will contain. Now usually with reference to the fuel tank of a car.

The insoluble sediment from the dissolving tanks in alkali works.

A research institute or other organization providing advice and ideas on national or commercial problems; an interdisciplinary group of specialist…

A flushing cistern having two compartments, one of which when filled tilts the other into the position for filling and empties itself (Cent. Dict…

= tank-iron, n.

Without a tank.

See quots.

A covered receptacle in which the solid components of sewage are retained and allowed to undergo decomposition by anaerobic bacteria. Also as a…

A tank for storage (e.g. of petrol).

A seagoing vessel fitted with tanks for carrying oil or other liquids in bulk. Cf. tank-boat, n., tank-steamer, n., tank-ship, n.

A water-tank in the bow or stern of a ship which is filled or emptied as the trim of the ship demands.

A station or place where a tank or tanks are provided, e.g. on a railway for supplying water to the engines or for storing oil, in a mine for storing…

A small, unimportant town, originally one at which trains stopped to take on water.

A chamber (often open to the air) connected by a T-junction to a water pipe so as to absorb surges of pressure by filling and drops in pressure by…

The navigator's assistant; the captain of the hold (see quot. 1945).

A water tank located on either side of the boiler of a steam locomotive; (also) a small steam locomotive with water tanks disposed in this way.

A container for the fuel supply in a motor vehicle, aircraft, etc.; a petrol tank.

A heavily armoured combat vehicle which moves on an articulated metal track designed for rough terrain, and is mounted with artillery, typically…

A fuel container from which the petrol is fed by gravity to the engine.

A tank (also a prison cell: cf. tank, n.¹ 4) in which an individual is isolated from others; (in later use) spec. a special light-proof, sound-proof…

A tank in which sewage is allowed to stand so that the solid matter in suspension may have time to settle.

A tank for water or other liquid at the top or head of something; spec. an elevated water tank maintaining pressure in a water supply through gravity.

A resonant circuit placed in the anode circuit of a valve oscillator in order to supply energy to an aerial for transmission.

A collection of tanks for the large-scale storage of oil.

A stand or support for a tank in which water is stored.

A large prison cell for the detention of drunks; cf. tank, n.¹

An attraction at a fairground, fund-raising event, etc., at which contestants throw balls at a target, with the aim of triggering a mechanism that…

A collapsible rubber container used for temporary storage of large quantities of liquid.

A tank used for receiving a sudden discharge of liquid from a reactor or for storing radioactive liquids while they are dangerous.

A (ladies') one-piece bathing-suit with scooped neck (cf. maillot, n. 2).

A receptacle for carrying luggage which fits on to the petrol tank of a motorcycle.

The pheasant-tailed Jacana, or Water-pheasant, Hydrophasianus chirurgus, of India and Sri Lanka, so called from its ability to run over floating…

C.1.

General attributive.

C.1.a.

C.1.b.

C.1.c.

spec. in sense 1.

C.1.d.

C.1.e.

(In sense 2.) Constructed as or fitted with a tank for conveying liquids, etc., esp. mineral oils in bulk.

C.2.

A railway engine which carries the fuel and water receptacles on its own framing and not in a separate tender.

Plate-iron of a thickness suitable for making tanks.

= tank-engine, n.

See quot.

(See quot. 1970).

A nematoid worm inhabiting the mud of Indian tanks, and believed to be the young of the guinea worm.

The insoluble sediment from the dissolving tanks in alkali works.

= tank-iron, n.

See quots.

A station or place where a tank or tanks are provided, e.g. on a railway for supplying water to the engines or for storing oil, in a mine for storing…

A small, unimportant town, originally one at which trains stopped to take on water.

A resonant circuit placed in the anode circuit of a valve oscillator in order to supply energy to an aerial for transmission.

A collection of tanks for the large-scale storage of oil.

A stand or support for a tank in which water is stored.

A (ladies') one-piece bathing-suit with scooped neck (cf. maillot, n. 2).

A receptacle for carrying luggage which fits on to the petrol tank of a motorcycle.

The pheasant-tailed Jacana, or Water-pheasant, Hydrophasianus chirurgus, of India and Sri Lanka, so called from its ability to run over floating…

Entry history for tank, n.¹

tank, n.¹ was first published in 1910; not yet revised.

tank, n.¹ was last modified in March 2024.

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;

new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into tank, n.¹ in March 2024.

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