13 results for: tank

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

tank

–noun

1.	a large receptacle, container, or structure for holding a liquid or gas: tanks for storing oil.

2.	a natural or artificial pool, pond, or lake.

3.	Military. an armored, self-propelled combat vehicle, armed with cannon and machine guns and moving on a caterpillar tread.

4.	Slang. a prison cell or enclosure for more than one occupant, as for prisoners awaiting a hearing.

tank top.

–verb (used with object)

6.	to put or store in a tank.

–verb (used without object)

7.	Slang. to do poorly or decline rapidly; fail: The movie tanked at the box office.

—Verb phrase

tank up,

a.	to fill the gas tank of an automobile or other motor vehicle.

b.	Slang. to drink a great quantity of alcoholic beverage, esp. to intoxication.

—Idiom

9.	go in the tank, Boxing Slang. to go through the motions of a match but deliberately lose because of an illicit prearrangement or fix; throw a fight.

[Origin: 1610–20; perh. jointly < Gujarati tānkh reservoir, lake, and Pg tanque, contr. of estanque pond, lit., something dammed up, deriv. of estancar (< VL *stanticāre) to dam up, weaken; adopted as a cover name for the military vehicle during the early stages of its manufacture in England (December, 1915)

]

—Related forms

tankless, adjective

tanklike, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
tank

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

tank Audio Help (tāngk) Pronunciation Key
n.

1. A large, often metallic container for holding or storing liquids or gases.
2. The amount that this container can hold: buy a tank of gas.
A usually artificial pool, pond, reservoir, or cistern, especially one used to hold water for drinking or for irrigation.
An enclosed, heavily armored combat vehicle that is armed with cannon and machine guns and moves on continuous tracks.
A tank top.
Slang A jail or jail cell.

v.   tanked, tank·ing, tanks

v.   tr.
To place, store, or process in a tank.

v.   intr.
Slang To suffer a sudden decline or failure: "Steady investors . . . kept their heads when the stock market tanked in October 1987" (Burton G. Malkiel).

Phrasal Verb(s):
tank up

Slang To drink to the point of intoxication.
To fill the tank of a motor vehicle with gasoline.

[Partly from Gujarati tānkh, cistern (from Sanskrit taḍāgaḥ, pond, perhaps of Dravidian origin) and partly from Portuguese tanque, reservoir (variant of estanque, from estancar, to dam up, from Vulgar Latin *stanticāre; see stanch¹).]

tank'ful' (-fŏŏl') n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
tank (n.)

c.1616, "pool or lake for irrigation or drinking water," a word originally brought by the Portuguese from India, ult. from Gujarati tankh "cistern, underground reservoir for water," Marathi tanken, or tanka "reservoir of water, tank." Perhaps from Skt. tadaga-m "pond, lake pool," and reinforced in later sense of "large artificial container for liquid" (1690) by Port. tanque "reservoir," from estancar "hold back a current of water," from V.L. *stanticare (see stanch). But others say the Port. word is the source of the Indian ones. Meaning "fuel container" is recorded from 1902. Military use originated 1915, partly as a code word, partly because they looked like benzene tanks. They were first used in action at Pozieres ridge, on the Western Front, Sept. 15, 1916. Slang meaning "detention cell" is from 1912. Tanker "ship for carrying oil or other liquid cargo," is first attested 1900. Tank top is 1968, from tank suit "one-piece bathing costume" (1920s), so called because it was worn in a swimming tank, or pool.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
tank (v.)

"to lose or fail," 1976, originaly in tennis jargon, but said there to be from boxing, from tank (n.) in some sense. Tanked "drunk" is from 1893.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

tank
noun
1.	an enclosed armored military vehicle; has a cannon and moves on caterpillar treads
2.	a large (usually metallic) vessel for holding gases or liquids
3.	as much as a tank will hold
4.	a freight car that transports liquids or gases in bulk [syn: tank car]
5.	a cell for violent prisoners [syn: cooler]
verb
1.	store in a tank by causing (something) to flow into it
2.	consume excessive amounts of alcohol
3.	treat in a tank; "tank animal refuse"

American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

tank

In addition to the idiom beginning with tank, also see think tank.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version) - Cite This Source - Share This
tank1 [tӕŋk] noun

a large container for liquids or gas
Example: a hot-water / cold-water tank

Arabic:	صِهْريج
Chinese (Simplified):	槽，箱（容器）
Chinese (Traditional):	槽，箱(容器)
Czech:	rezervoár, nádrž
Danish:	beholder; -beholder
Dutch:	tank
Estonian:	paak
Finnish:	säiliö
French:	réservoir, cuve
German:	der Tank
Greek:	δεξαμενή, ντεπόζιτο
Hungarian:	tartály, tank
Icelandic:	geymir, tankur
Indonesian:	tangki
Italian:	serbatoio, tanica

Japanese:	タンク
Korean:	(액체·가스 등의) 탱크
Latvian:	cisterna; tvertne
Lithuanian:	cisterna, rezervuaras
Norwegian:	beholder, tank
Polish:	zbiornik
Portuguese (Brazil):	tanque, reservatório
Portuguese (Portugal):	depósito
Romanian:	rezervor, bazin
Russian:	бак
Slovak:	rezervoár, nádrž
Slovenian:	rezervoar
Spanish:	tanque, depósito
Swedish:	tank, behållare
Turkish:	depo, sarnıç, tank

tank2 [tӕŋk] noun

a heavy steel-covered vehicle armed with guns

Arabic:	دَبّابَه
Chinese (Simplified):	坦克
Chinese (Traditional):	坦克
Czech:	tank
Danish:	tank
Dutch:	tank
Estonian:	tank
Finnish:	panssarivaunu
French:	char d'assaut
German:	der Panzer
Greek:	άρμα μάχης, τανκ
Hungarian:	tank
Icelandic:	skriðdreki
Indonesian:	tank
Italian:	carro armato*

Korean:	(군대) 탱크; 전차
Latvian:	tanks
Lithuanian:	tankas
Norwegian:	stridsvogn, tank
Polish:	czołg
Portuguese (Brazil):	tanque de guerra
Portuguese (Portugal):	tanque
Romanian:	tanc
Russian:	танк
Slovak:	tank
Slovenian:	tank
Spanish:	tanque de guerra
Swedish:	stridsvagn
Turkish:	tank