melt·down
ˈmelt-ˌdau̇n 
1
: the accidental melting of the core of a nuclear reactor
2
: a rapid or disastrous decline or collapse
3
: a breakdown of self-control (as from fatigue or overstimulation)
Synonyms
Examples of meltdown in a Sentence
Noun
fears that an accident could cause meltdown
a company experiencing financial meltdown
After a long day at the beach, our toddler had a major meltdown in the car on the way home.
Verb
rather than melt down, the team strengthened their resolve and ended up winning the game
Recent Examples on the Web
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 25 Nov. 2024
In fact, my camera has a meltdown trying to figure out where to focus, because the bats are absolutely everywhere.
—Melissa Locker, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Nov. 2024
Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 2 Nov. 2024
What’s even worse, according to a report from JPMorgan Chase and the ERM Sustainability Institute, is that a lot of the water used to keep data centers from melting down during their intense computing comes from places that have a lot of extra water to spare.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for meltdown 
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Noun
The issues today follow a July meltdown after a corrupted update by a cybersecurity firm called CrowdStrike crashed systems and computers around the world that were running Microsoft Windows, including banks, airlines, trains, health systems and other industries.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 25 Nov. 2024
In fact, my camera has a meltdown trying to figure out where to focus, because the bats are absolutely everywhere.
—Melissa Locker, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Nov. 2024
Verb
She will get overwhelmed, melt down, and millions of people will die.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 2 Nov. 2024
What’s even worse, according to a report from JPMorgan Chase and the ERM Sustainability Institute, is that a lot of the water used to keep data centers from melting down during their intense computing comes from places that have a lot of extra water to spare.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for meltdown
Dictionary Entries Near meltdown
Cite this Entry
“Meltdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meltdown. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
meltdown
noun
melt·down
ˈmelt-ˌdau̇n
1
: the accidental melting of the core of a nuclear reactor
2
: a rapid or disastrous decline or collapse
a financial meltdown
3
: a breakdown of self-control (as from fatigue or overstimulation)
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