meltdown

1 of 2

noun

melt·​down ˈmelt-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce meltdown (audio)
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

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
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.
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 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1956, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1956, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of meltdown was in 1956

Dictionary Entries Near meltdown

meltage

meltdown

melt down

Cite this Entry

“Meltdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meltdown. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

meltdown

noun
melt·​down ˈmelt-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce meltdown (audio)
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)

More from Merriam-Webster on meltdown

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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