Tank

/tæŋk/ adj, noun, verb, slang

adj, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A closed container for liquids or gases.
  • Grammar: tank is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: abrams, aquarium, aquariums, aquariuses.
  • Useful contrasts: damage dealer, drain, empty.
  • Usage evidence: The tank has a capacity of fifty-gallons.

How to use "tank"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tank" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tank" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tank" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tank" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "tank" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "abrams" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "tank", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A closed container for liquids or gases.

    "The propane is stored in these tanks."

  2. 2
    A small Indian dry measure, averaging 240 grains in weight.
  3. 3
    a cell for violent prisoners wordnet
  4. 4
    An open container or pool for storing water or other liquids.

    "The contractors installed a new tank with gorgeous fish and corals."

  5. 5
    A Bombay weight of 72 grains, for pearls.
Show 17 more definitions
  1. 6
    a large (usually metallic) vessel for holding gases or liquids wordnet
  2. 7
    A pond, pool, or small lake (either natural or artificial).

    "The tanks are full and the grass is high."

  3. 8
    an enclosed armored military vehicle; has a cannon and moves on caterpillar treads wordnet
  4. 9
    The fuel reservoir of a vehicle.

    "We have brought the van to a garage after we found a leak in the tank."

  5. 10
    a freight car that transports liquids or gases in bulk wordnet
  6. 11
    The amount held by a container; a tankful.

    "I burned three tanks of gas on the drive to New York."

  7. 12
    as much as a tank will hold wordnet
  8. 13
    An armoured fighting vehicle, armed with a gun designed for direct fire, and moving on caterpillar tracks.

    "The journalist mistook the self-propelled artillery vehicle for a tank."

  9. 14
    A reservoir or dam. Australia, India
  10. 15
    A structure of tightly overlapping leaves used by some bromeliads to retain water.
  11. 16
    A very muscular and physically imposing person; somebody who is built like a tank. colloquial
  12. 17
    A bouncer or doorman. UK, broadly, dated, slang
  13. 18
    A unit or character designed primarily around damage absorption and holding the attention of the enemy (as opposed to dealing damage, healing, or other tasks).

    "The paladin can make for a decent tank, but I recommend that you get a class with better taunting skills."

  14. 19
    A prison cell, or prison generally. US, slang

    "drunk tank"

  15. 20
    A metaphorical place where a player goes to contemplate a decision; see in the tank. slang
  16. 21
    Ellipsis of tank engine or tank locomotive. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

    "Before their conversion to 4-6-0 tender locomotives, the L.B. & S.C.R. Baltic tank engines Nos. 330 to 334 measured 50 ft. 5 in. over buffers; the nearest present approach to this figure is the 49 ft. 10½ in. of the remaining ex-Lancashire & Yorkshire Hughes type 4-cylinder 4-6-4 tanks of the L.M.S.R. The Furness and G. & S.W.R. 4-6-4 tanks of the same company, all now scrapped, were, respectively, 49 ft. 1½ in. and 47 ft. 8 in. long."

  17. 22
    Ellipsis of tank top. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

    "T-BACK COTTON TANK"

Verb
  1. 1
    To fail or fall (often used in describing the economy or the stock market); to degenerate or decline rapidly; to plummet.

    "He told me about all the odd jobs he'd taken after I was born, when Michigan's economy was tanking. For one, he crisscrossed the Midwest buying old carpets from dentists' offices."

  2. 2
    treat in a tank wordnet
  3. 3
    To attract the attacks of an enemy target in cooperative team-based combat, so that one's teammates can defeat the enemy in question more efficiently.
  4. 4
    consume excessive amounts of alcohol wordnet
  5. 5
    To put (fuel, etc.) into a tank. transitive

    "Concrete below ground must be fully tanked to prevent water uptake."

Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    store in a tank by causing (something) to flow into it wordnet
  2. 7
    To deliberately lose a sports match with the intent of gaining a perceived future competitive advantage.

    "Beforehand, Swedish [national ice hockey team] coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson had ruminated about tanking against Slovakia to avoid powerful Canada or the Czechs in the quarters [i.e., quarterfinals of the 2006 Winter Olympic tournament], telling Swedish television, "One is cholera, the other the plague.""

  3. 8
    To resist damage; to be attacked without being hurt. slang

    "Unless Bane can tank Helicarrier-busting explosions I'm not sure how he stands a chance."

  4. 9
    To contemplate a decision for a long time; to go in the tank. slang
  5. 10
    To stand; to tolerate. Singapore, colloquial
  6. 11
    To willingly take on an undesirable task or burden. Singapore, colloquial

Synonyms

All synonyms
abramsaquariumaquariumsaquariusesarchivesarmored combat vehicle

Antonyms

damage dealerdrainemptyexcel

Example

"The tank has a capacity of fifty-gallons."

Common questions

What does "tank" mean?

A closed container for liquids or gases.

What is a synonym for "tank"?

Common synonyms include: abrams, aquarium, aquariums, aquariuses, archives, armored combat vehicle.

How do you use "tank" in a sentence?

The tank has a capacity of fifty-gallons.

How do you pronounce "tank"?

Pronounced /tæŋk/.

Etymology

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.

More for "tank"

Synonyms

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