# tank

Pronunciation: US say "TANGK" /tæŋk/; AUS say "TANK" /tæŋk/

## Noun

1. A large container, closed or open, for holding or storing a liquid or gas, such as the fuel reservoir of a vehicle.
   - Simple: A large container for holding liquid or gas, such as water, fuel, or oil.
   - _Compressed gas is stored in a steel tank in the basement._
   - _The tanks at the chemical plant are inspected every month._
2. An armored fighting vehicle that moves on caterpillar tracks and carries a gun for firing directly at targets.
   - Simple: A large armored war vehicle that moves on metal tracks and fires a big gun.
   - _A column of tanks advanced under the cover of darkness._
   - _A single tank can hold off an infantry assault for hours._
3. Short for tank top: a sleeveless shirt with shoulder straps and no collar. — Ellipsis of tank top.
   - Simple: Short for tank top. A sleeveless shirt worn in warm weather.
   - _She layered a thin tank under her open flannel shirt._
   - _On hot days he lives in a worn cotton tank and sandals._
5. The quantity of liquid or gas that a container holds at one time; a tankful.
   - Simple: The full amount that a tank can hold.
   - _A single tank of fuel lasted the entire road trip._
   - _They burned through two tanks of propane during the festival._
9. A very muscular, physically imposing person, built solidly like a tank. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A very big, strong person who looks powerful and hard to knock down.
   - _Her younger brother grew into a total tank after two years of weightlifting._
   - _Two tanks from the rugby team carried the piano upstairs._
6. A unit or character built mainly to absorb damage and hold the enemy's attention, rather than to deal damage or heal.
   - Simple: A character or unit whose job is to take enemy hits and hold their attention, instead of dealing damage or healing.
   - _A well-built tank can pin the boss in place while the rest of the party deals damage._
   - _In the game, our tank charged in first and kept the monsters busy while we attacked._
7. Chiefly in India and Australia, a pond, small lake, or reservoir, natural or artificial, used to store water.
   - Simple: In India and Australia, a pond or reservoir, often man-made, that stores water.
   - _Villagers drew water from the tank during the dry months._
   - _A small tank near the temple supplied the surrounding fields._
11. A prison cell, or a prison in general. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: A jail cell, or jail in general.
   - _The officers led the suspect down to the tank._
   - _He sobered up in the tank and was released by noon._
8. Short for tank engine or tank locomotive: a steam train engine carrying water in built-in tanks, usually also carrying fuel. — Ellipsis of tank engine or tank locomotive.
   - Simple: Short for tank engine or tank locomotive, a steam engine that carries its own water.
   - _The restored tank hauled tourists along the scenic railroad each summer._
   - _Engineers preferred the tank for short runs between nearby stations._

## Verb

4. To fail or fall rapidly, especially when describing the economy or the stock market; to plummet.
   - Simple: To quickly lose value or fail, often used about money or sales.
   - _The economy tanked within months of the crisis._
   - _Share prices tank whenever investors lose confidence._
10. To deliberately lose a game, match, or series of games, often in order to gain a later advantage such as a better draft pick.
   - Simple: To lose a game on purpose, often to get an advantage later.
   - _The franchise tanked the entire season to secure the top draft pick._
   - _Teams that tank deliberately risk heavy fines from the league._
12. Especially in video games, to absorb attacks or damage without being defeated, often by drawing enemies' attacks onto oneself so that teammates can fight more effectively.
   - Simple: To take hits or attacks yourself, often in games, so that your teammates stay safe.
   - _She tanked the boss for the entire fight without dying once._
   - _Good players know how to tank without losing too much health._
13. To fill a tank with fuel or another liquid.
   - Simple: To put fuel or another liquid into a tank.
   - _The truckers tanked up on diesel before the long overnight haul._
   - _Before every road trip, Dad likes to tank up the car and check the tires._
15. In Singapore English, to endure something difficult or unpleasant, or to willingly take on a hard task or burden. *(colloquial, Singapore)*
   - Simple: To put up with something hard or unpleasant, or agree to take on a difficult job.
   - _He could barely tank the long shifts at the factory._
   - _Few people could tank that much criticism without quitting._

## Noun

14. A bouncer or doorman who controls entry to a venue. *(dated, UK)*
   - Simple: A person hired to guard a door and keep order at a club.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A figurative place a player retreats to while thinking over a decision.
- (verb) To spend a long time thinking over a decision before acting.
- (noun) A structure of tightly overlapping leaves that some bromeliads use to hold water.
- (noun) A traditional Indian unit of weight whose value varied by region: generally about 240 grains, but 72 grains in Bombay, where it was used for weighing pearls.

## Origin

Gujarati ṭā̃kī ("cistern"), Marathi ṭāṅkī, or another Indo-Aryan language gave Portuguese tanque ("tank, liquid container"), the source of the English word. The armored vehicle sense, first recorded in 1915, arose because early prototypes were called water tanks to hide what they really were, and because they looked like them.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tank (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).