circle the drain
circle the drain · circles the drain · circled the drain · circling the drain
To be in a rapid decline or in a state of downfall, especially as leading to an…To be in a rapid decline or in a state of downfall, especially as leading to an inevitable utter failure or destruction.
» He's circling the drain.
Tatoeba contributors · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 senses(idiomatic, informal)To be in a rapid decline or in a state of downfall, especially as leading to an inevitable utter failure or destruction.
Examples
1 sentencesHe's circling the drain.
Forms
circles the drain, circling the drain, circled the drain, circled the drain| Base form | circle the drain · to circle the drain |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | circles the drain |
| Present participle | circling the drain |
| Past simple | circled the drain |
| Past participle | circled the drain |
irregular
Word family
1 related wordsRelateddownward spiral
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.