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Definition of meltdown
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)
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Examples of meltdown in a Sentence
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.
Recent Examples of meltdown from the Web
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Seldom are the banal logistics of child rearing — does Joan risk a trip to the vending machines to avert a hunger meltdown?
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Arrojo says the style actually first became popular back in 2008, post-economic meltdown, when people wanted to stretch the time between appointments as much as possible.
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There’s an argument to be made in defense of Wallace-Wells’ meltdown-style writing, however.
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TAKEAWAY With Anderson out for at least six weeks, the timing of Guerra's meltdown couldn't be worse for the Brewers.
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The biggest nuclear meltdown in U.S. history occurred in 1979 at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, when large amounts of radioactive coolant escaped into the atmosphere.
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Yet while the loss of Turner seems to be the bigger problem on the surface, the bullpen’s latest meltdown is far more vexing.
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Three former executives from Tokyo Electric Power Co. pleaded not guilty to charges of negligence at the beginning of the only criminal trial related to Japan’s nuclear-plant meltdown six years ago.
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As the Fed noted in releasing the results yesterday, big financial firms have more than doubled that capital cushion in the years since the meltdown.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'meltdown.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of meltdown
1956
MELTDOWN Defined for English Language Learners
meltdown
playDefinition of meltdown for English Language Learners
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: an accident in which the core of a nuclear reactor melts and releases radiation
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: a very fast collapse or failure
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: a very fast loss of emotional self-control
Learn More about meltdown
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See words that rhyme with meltdown Nglish: Translation of meltdown for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of meltdown for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about meltdown
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