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

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

Over 3,000 structures — at least 1,350 of them residential — melted down to nothing. —Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024

Oil plunges after Israel attacks Iran Gas prices could be poised to fall even further in the coming days because the oil market is melting down again. —Matt Egan, CNN, 29 Oct. 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)