meltdown

1 of 2

noun

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)

melt down

2 of 2

verb

melted down; melting down; melts down

intransitive verb

: to suffer a meltdown : collapse

Synonyms

Verb

• break down
• break up
• crack
• flip (out) [slang]
• freak (out)
• wig (out) [slang]

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

Noun

That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. —CBS News, 20 Dec. 2024

That’s precisely how Japan responded to its 1990s bad-loan meltdown — and why Tokyo is still dealing with the fallout today. —William Pesek, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024

Verb

Three Mile Island is best known because its Unit 2 reactor partially melted down in 1979. —Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 9 Dec. 2024

The plastic — salvaged from a waste site and beach cleanup in Cape Town — is melted down into a black goo and turned into sculptures, Olivier tells Axios. —Martin Vassolo, Axios, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1956, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1956, in the meaning defined above

Kids 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)