melt down 1 of 2

verb

Definition of melt downnext
as in to crack
to yield to mental or emotional stress rather than melt down, the team strengthened their resolve and ended up winning the game

Synonyms & Similar Words

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meltdown

2 of 2

noun

1
as in tailspin

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in collapse

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of melt down
Verb
Parents won't spend the day pushing strollers across sprawling pathways trying to cover ground before someone melts down. — Jacqueline Dole, Southern Living, 30 June 2026 The Liberty Bell had survived the war—so far—without being melted down into musket balls by the British. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 June 2026
Noun
Instead of a meltdown, this quick-thinking mom swooped in with an even better option. — Janey Wetzel, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026 Going into the fifth set, Rafter had all the momentum and Ivanišević appeared to be in meltdown. — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 12 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for melt down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melt down
  1. crack
  2. tailspin
  3. collapse
  4. choke
  5. freak-out
  6. disaster
  7. break down
  8. nervous breakdown
Verb
  • If the bottom of the outside linebacker room is determined by special teams value, then Tyrus Wheat will have an opportunity to crack the initial roster.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026
  • The camera then cut to Gomez cracking an egg into dough and kneading the pasta into shape, before feeding it into a machine while her husband cheered her on.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026
Definition of crack
Noun
  • Of course, the collection sold out within minutes of dropping, sending shoppers into a tailspin.
    — Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 17 July 2026
  • If the roster is depleted any further by trades or injuries, the Angels could go into a tailspin and lose 100 games for the first time in franchise history.
    — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 15 July 2026
Definition of tailspin
Noun
  • But authorities said the crews needed to carefully map out a rescue plan since a reckless excavation could risk triggering a secondary collapse, especially with the boulders at the scene.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • That reflects a long-running slowdown in home construction driven by rising expenses from materials and labor as well as changes in local zoning and permitting rules and lingering scars from the 2008 subprime mortgage collapse.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • Cotton is one of more than 100 million people across the Midwest, Northeast and mid-Atlantic breathing in dangerous air brought by thick, choking plumes of smoke from wildfires in Canada.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • The trend, which was popular on TikTok at the time, involves intentionally choking oneself or holding one’s breath until passing out.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Definition of choke
Noun
  • Even so, the nation’s collective freak-out should serve as a wake-up call to both the food industry and regulators.
    — Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
  • Much of the freak-out was fed by polls supposedly showing Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco atop the field.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
Definition of freak-out
Noun
  • The whole administration of the capital is threatened by this disaster.
    — Andrei Popoviciu, The Dial, 23 July 2026
  • But simply hoping things will bounce back is a recipe for disaster.
    — Chris Adams, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of disaster
Verb
  • But even his genius couldn’t break down the tournament’s best team, Spain, in the final.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • Use it to talk through key problems and decisions as a group, break down silos, and make live design, share-out and deep review sessions a regular habit.
    — Julien Vantyghem, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of break down
Noun
  • Embodied by Maradona, successive Argentinean national teams played with flair and toughness and an element of chaos, often on the edge of nervous breakdown.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 16 July 2026
  • After suffering a nervous breakdown and being taken care of by Marlon Brando’s daughter Cheyenne in Tahiti, Jones eventually returned to his life as a mogul of music, television and magazines.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 3 July 2026
Definition of nervous breakdown

Browse Nearby Words

melt (away)
melt down
meltdown
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Cite this Entry

“Melt down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melt%20down. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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