A tank is a large container for holding liquid or gas.
...an empty fuel tank.
Two water tanks provide a total capacity of 400 litres.
...a tank full of goldfish.
Synonyms: aquarium, bowl More Synonyms of tank
A tank of a liquid or gas is an amount of it contained in a tank.
A lorry can drive up to 600 miles on a single tank of fuel.
2. countable noun
A tank is a large military vehicle that is equipped with weapons and moves along on metal tracks that are fitted over the wheels.
3. See also septic tank, think-tank
More Synonyms of tank
tank in British English
(tæŋk)
noun
1.
a large container or reservoir for the storage of liquids or gases
tanks for storing oil
2.
a.
an armoured combat vehicle moving on tracks and armed with guns, etc, originally developed in World War I
b.
(as modifier)
a tank commander
a tank brigade
3. British and US dialect
a reservoir, lake, or pond
4. photography
a.
a light-tight container inside which a film can be processed in daylight, the solutions and rinsing waters being poured in and out without light entering
b.
any large dish or container used for processing a number of strips or sheets of film
5. slang, mainly US
a.
a jail
b.
a jail cell
6. Also called: tankful
the quantity contained in a tank
7. Australian
a dam formed by excavation
verb
8. (transitive)
to put or keep in a tank
9. (intransitive)
to move like a tank, esp heavily and rapidly
10. (transitive) slang
to defeat heavily
11. (intransitive) informal
to fail, esp commercially
Derived forms
tankless (ˈtankless)
adjective
tanklike (ˈtankˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
C17: from Gujarati tānkh artificial lake, but influenced also by Portuguese tanque, from estanque pond, from estancar to dam up, from Vulgar Latin stanticāre (unattested) to block, stanch
tank in American English
(tæŋk)
noun
1. Archaic
in India, a natural or artificial pool or pond used for water storage
2.
any large container for liquid or gas
a gasoline tank, a swimming tank
3.
a.
tank top
b.
tank suit
4.
a heavily armored, self-propelled combat vehicle armed with guns and moving on full tractor treads
5. US, Slang
a jail cell, esp. one for new prisoners charged with misdemeanors
verb transitive
6.
to put, store, or process in a tank
7. Slang
to lose (a game, match, etc.) deliberately or due to a lack of effort
verb intransitive Slang
8.
to fail or go into a sharp decline
9.
to lose, esp. as a result of a lack of effort
Idioms:
go in the tank
tank up
Word origin
(sense 1) < Gujarati tānkh; other senses < or infl. by Sp & Port tanque, aphetic < estanque, a pool, stoppage of flow < estancar, to stop the flow of < VL *stanticare, to staunch; (sense 4) name orig. used for purpose of secrecy during manufacture
More idioms containing
tank
someone or something is built like a tank
Examples of 'tank' in a sentence
tank
Then there was a bit in a fish tank.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The tank was empty but still he gave his all.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
To fill up my tank is probably about two or three quid.
The Sun (2017)
With a free tank of fuel.
The Sun (2016)
BBC1 and the licence fee should be dumped, a think tank has suggested.
The Sun (2016)
It is like any quality car except it doesn't have a fuel tank.
The Sun (2016)
He did stand a long way off the odd ditch but once there was a little less gas in the tank he was really good.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Tanks moved in small convoys along the highways.
Oliver Poole BLACK KNIGHTS: On the Bloody Road to Baghdad (2003)
You should also check whether you need to return the car with a full tank of fuel.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
We carry oxygen tanks and gas detectors which detect noxious gases and low oxygen.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Tanks and heavy artillery should be phased out.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It includes an old gas holding tank that served as a space tunnel.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Under the bonnet is a large hydrogen fuel tank that feeds the fuel cell.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Talk like this and your film tanks.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They found extra space using a central fuel tank.
The Sun (2014)
How to be your own best think tank.
Christianity Today (2000)
There is no point in running on an empty tank.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
They have big tanks full of fish and crabs.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The window cleaner collapsed as he tried to reach his oxygen tank and switch off the supply.
The Sun (2014)
In the snug was a tank of tropical fish.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The more important weapons were his tanks and artillery and we needed to be able to hit those targets.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
On the road to the town lie the burnt remnants of tanks and armoured cars targeted by the allied aircraft.
The Sun (2011)
Yet most drivers have a good idea of the cost of filling their tank and how often they do so.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The tank drives over a dead, muddied body and civilians hang from telegraph posts.
The Sun (2014)
Local people said the tanks had not moved since they had taken up position 10 days earlier.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He dragged her to his car, where he tied the gas tank to her.
The Sun (2014)
Fill the petrol tank, drive for a couple of hundred miles and then refill.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It had to handle well and be comfortable, able to swallow the miles with a decent tank capacity.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This was exactly what the tank and armoured infantry battalions were designed to do, and they did it brilliantly.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
About 26 per cent no longer fill their tanks to capacity while 45 per cent drive less.
The Sun (2011)
In other languages
tank
British English: tank /tæŋk/ NOUN
container A tank is a large container for holding liquid or gas.
...a tank full of goldfish.
American English: tank large container
Arabic: صَهْرِيج
Brazilian Portuguese: tanque
Chinese: 罐
Croatian: rezervoar
Czech: nádrž
Danish: tank
Dutch: tank grote container
European Spanish: depósito tanque
Finnish: säiliö
French: cuve
German: Tank
Greek: δεξαμενή
Italian: serbatoio
Japanese: タンク large container
Korean: 탱크
Norwegian: tank
Polish: zbiornik pojemnik
European Portuguese: tanque
Romanian: bazin
Russian: цистерна
Latin American Spanish: depósito tanque
Swedish: tank
Thai: ถังขนาดใหญ่บรรจุน้ำหรือก๊าซ
Turkish: tank
Ukrainian: танкер
Vietnamese: bể chứa
British English: tank /tæŋk/ NOUN
vehicle A tank is a military vehicle equipped with guns or rockets.
American English: tank combat vehicle
Arabic: دَبَّابَة
Brazilian Portuguese: tanque guerra
Chinese: 坦克
Croatian: tenk
Czech: tank
Danish: tank
Dutch: tank pantserwagen
European Spanish: tanque
Finnish: panssarivaunu
French: tank
German: Panzer
Greek: τανκ
Italian: carro armato
Japanese: 戦車 combat vehicle
Korean: 탱크
Norwegian: tanks
Polish: czołg
European Portuguese: tanque guerra
Romanian: tanc
Russian: танк
Latin American Spanish: tanque
Swedish: stridsvagn
Thai: รถถัง
Turkish: tank ordu
Ukrainian: танк
Vietnamese: xe tăng
All related terms of 'tank'
tank up
to fill the tank of (a vehicle) with petrol
drop tank
an external aircraft tank , usually containing fuel, that can be detached and dropped in flight
fish tank
a glass container for keeping fish in
fuel tank
a container inside a vehicle that holds fuel
gas tank
The gas tank in a motor vehicle is the container for gas.
mud tank
A mud tank is a large treatment and storage tank for cleaned mud.
oil tank
any tank for containing or storing oil such as a very large oil storage container at a refinery ; a large oil storage area on an oil tanker ; or a smaller container for the storage of heating oil at a property
tank car
a large tank on wheels , for carrying liquids and gases by rail
tank farm
an expanse of land on which a number of fuel oil storage tanks are located
tank fire
You can use fire to refer to the shots fired from a gun or guns.
tank suit
a contoured , one-piece woman's swimsuit with shoulder straps , and, often, a scoop neck
tank top
A tank top is a knitted piece of clothing that covers the upper part of your body and has no sleeves .
tank town
a small or insignificant town
tank trap
any obstacle , such as a number of concrete stumps set in the ground, designed to stop a military tank
belly tank
a fuel tank in the belly of a plane
crude tank
A crude tank is a large vessel for crude oil .
drunk tank
a large police cell used for detaining drunks overnight
header tank
a reservoir , tank , or hopper that maintains a gravity feed or a static fluid pressure in an apparatus
oxygen tank
a metal cylinder containing oxygen under pressure
petrol tank
The petrol tank in a motor vehicle is the container for petrol.
septic tank
A septic tank is an underground tank where faeces, urine , and other waste matter is made harmless using bacteria.
surge tank
a tank used to absorb surges in water flow
tank engine
a steam locomotive that carries its water supply in tanks mounted around its boiler
tank truck
a large motor vehicle designed to carry loads of liquids, gases, or dry goods
tank wagon
a form of railway wagon carrying a tank for the transport of liquids
think tank
A think-tank is a group of experts who are gathered together by an organization, especially by a government, in order to consider various problems and try and work out ways to solve them.
water tank
a tank for holding water
buoyancy tank
an enclosed air-filled section of a boat, ship or hovercraft designed to keep it afloat and prevent it from sinking
reserve tank
the tank or part of a tank in a car engine that reserves fuel in case the main fuel supply runs out
Sherman tank
an American medium tank , widely used by the Allies during World War II
storage tank
A storage tank is a large vessel for storing oil, gas , and other petrochemical products.
tank farming
→ hydroponics
developing tank
a container used to develop photographic film and which enables the film to be developed in daylight
expansion tank
a tank collecting coolant from a radiator while an engine is heated, and from which the coolant returns to the radiator when the engine cools
flotation tank
an enclosed ventilated tank filled with a saline solution at body temperature, in which a person floats in darkness in order to relax or meditate
quiescent tank
a tank , usually for sewage sludge , in which the sludge is allowed to remain for a time so that sedimentation can occur
tank destroyer
a highly mobile , armored vehicle on tractor treads , on which an antitank gun is mounted
tank foundation
A tank foundation is a base which is designed to support the weight of oil tanks and contain spillage.
sedimentation tank
a tank into which sewage is passed to allow suspended solid matter to separate out
crude tank yard
A crude tank yard is a place where tanks of crude oil are stored .
go in the tank
to lose or fail badly or on purpose
oil storage tank
a very large industrial container where petroleum is stored
reserve petrol tank
the tank or part of a tank in a car engine that reserves fuel in case the main fuel supply runs out
someone or something is built like a tank
said to mean that someone is very big and strong, or that something has been made very well and very solidly, and will last for a long time
STOIIP
STOIIP is a method of estimating how much oil in a reservoir can be economically brought to the surface.
Chinese translation of 'tank'
tank
(tæŋk)
n(c)
(Mil) 坦克 (tǎnkè) (辆(輛), liàng)
(for petrol, water) 箱 (xiāng) (个(個), gè)
(also fish tank) 缸 (gāng)
1 (noun)
Definition
a large container for storing liquids or gases
an empty fuel tank
Synonyms
container
The paint is supplied in a clear, plastic container.
barrel
barrels of pickled fish
vat
food cooked in huge vats of boiling fat
reservoir
It was on his desk next to the ink reservoir.
cistern
He pointed to the antiquated cistern above the lavatory.
receptacle
a receptacle for water
2 (noun)
a tank full of goldfish
Synonyms
aquarium
bowl
3 (noun)
Definition
an armoured combat vehicle moving on tracks and armed with guns
soldiers backed up by tanks
Synonyms
armoured vehicle
Panzer (German)
armoured car
combat vehicle
Additional synonyms
in the sense of barrel
Definition
a cylindrical container, usually with rounded sides and flat ends, and held together by metal hoops
barrels of pickled fish
Synonyms
cask,
drum,
butt,
vat,
cylinder,
tub,
keg,
firkin
in the sense of cistern
Definition
an underground reservoir
He pointed to the antiquated cistern above the lavatory.