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
Noun
For plenty of Americans, the public-relations meltdown that besieged the British royal family this week barely registers as a scandal. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024 The country’s in full meltdown, suggested more than depicted outright. Peter Debruge, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 An 2011 earthquake and tsunami damaged the Fukushima plant’s power supply and reactor cooling functions, triggering meltdowns of three reactors and causing large amounts of radioactive wastewater to accumulate. Mari Yamaguchi, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 Those concerns were exacerbated in 1986 by the meltdown of the No. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant in Ukraine, which resulted in the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. Sam Roberts, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024 The scenario intuitively seemed about as plausible as a hot tub in Denver causing meltdowns in Vail, Breckenridge and Telluride. Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024 Among the signs of a deep loss of investor confidence and a less friendly investor environment has been the meltdown in the Chinese stock market and the weakness of its currency. Desmond Lachman, National Review, 13 Feb. 2024 Angry investors flocked to a social media account of the US Embassy in Beijing to vent their outrage about the meltdown of the stock market, after other outlets of protest had been closed off. Laura He, CNN, 6 Feb. 2024 One where a patron can have a full metal meltdown about the state of the world and still be given resources to find housing, a shower, a meal. Lisa Bubert, Longreads, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
Water from the dam’s reservoir had been used to cool the reactors, which now could overheat and melt down if turned on. Richard Engel, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024 These implements were possibly melted down and traded. Chris Baraniuk, WIRED, 20 Feb. 2024 Suzie, who is also navigating a custody battle and occasionally using recreational drugs, melts down, and Piper viscerally conveys the sensation of feeling one’s life come undone. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 The move followed a series of mishaps led by human errors at the plant, where three nuclear reactors melted down after the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Mari Yamaguchi, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024 The intense heat then melts down the mud, which separates into liquid metal oxides. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Feb. 2024 The waste management company sorts, cleans, shreds, crushes and melts down the toys into materials that are later used to make goods like lunchboxes and flower pots. Stephanie Ebbs, ABC News, 4 Jan. 2024 During the Grover Cleveland administration in the mid 1890s, assorted White House silver was melted down by the Treasury; the metal was used to make new flatware for the president’s house. Jura Koncius, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023 That coinage would be melted down into ingots, then crafted into wearable art including cuffs, bracelets and necklaces. Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'meltdown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 29 Mar. 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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