What does "tank" mean?

1. (liquid container) a large container for holding liquids or gases, like water or fuel. 2. (military vehicle) a heavy military vehicle with large guns that moves on metal tracks instead of wheels. 3. (gaming role) in video games, a character who can take a lot of damage to protect their teammates. 4. (botany) a part of some plants that catches and holds rainwater. 5. (to fail) to fail completely or lose value very quickly. 6. (to lose on purpose) to lose a game on purpose to get an advantage later.

tank

n. · v.

US //ˈtæŋk// UK //tˈæŋk// tank

1 liquid container (n.)
A2 Elementary

a large container for holding liquids or gases, like water or fuel.

a large, typically enclosed container designed for the storage of liquids or gases.

Example

The plumber had to fix a leak in the water tank in the attic.

Example

The industrial facility maintains several pressurized tanks to store the liquid nitrogen required for the cooling process.
2 military vehicle (n.)
B1 Intermediate

a heavy military vehicle with large guns that moves on metal tracks instead of wheels.

an armoured fighting vehicle equipped with a large-calibre gun and moving on continuous caterpillar tracks.

Example

The army moved its tanks to the border during the training exercise.

Example

Modern tanks are designed with advanced composite armour to withstand direct hits from anti-tank guided missiles.
- armoured vehicle

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3 gaming role (n.)
C1 Advanced Slang Computing

in video games, a character who can take a lot of damage to protect their teammates.

a character class in cooperative games designed to absorb damage and draw enemy attention away from more vulnerable allies.

Example

Our team needs a strong tank to lead the attack on the boss.

Example

The player chose a warrior build to act as the primary tank, ensuring the mages could cast spells without being interrupted by enemy fire.
- defender
- meat shield
- glass cannon
4 botany (n.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Botany

a part of some plants that catches and holds rainwater.

a structure formed by overlapping leaves in certain plants, such as bromeliads, used to collect and retain water.

Example

Frogs often lay their eggs in the water held by the plant's tank.

Example

Epiphytic bromeliads rely on their central tank to survive long periods without rainfall in the tropical canopy.
- reservoir
5 to fail (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

to fail completely or lose value very quickly.

to decline sharply in value, performance, or quality; often used in economic or commercial contexts.

Example

The company's stock started to tank after the bad news was released.

Example

Despite a massive marketing budget, the film tanked at the box office during its opening weekend.
- soar
- succeed
6 to lose on purpose (v.)
C1 Advanced Informal Sport

to lose a game on purpose to get an advantage later.

to deliberately lose a sporting match or competition, typically to secure a better draft pick or future advantage.

Example

Fans accused the team of tanking the season to get a better player next year.

Example

The league investigated whether the coach instructed his players to tank the final game to avoid a difficult opponent in the playoffs.
- throw
- compete

Origin

From Portuguese tanque (“tank, liquid container”), from an Indo-Aryan language, likely Gujarati ટાંકી (ṭā̃kī, “cistern”) or Marathi टांकी (ṭāṅkī). Compare the Arabic verb اِسْتَنْقَعَ (istanqaʕa, “to become stagnant, to stagnate”). In the sense of armoured vehicle, first attested in 1915, prototypes were described as tanks for carrying water to disguise their nature as well as due to physical resemblance.

Idioms2 entries