meltdown

noun melt·down \ ˈmelt-ˌdau̇n \

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Examples: meltdown in a Sentence

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)

See meltdown defined for English-language learners

See meltdown defined for kids

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

Two and a Half Men killed off Charlie Sheen’s character in 2011 after his public meltdown, and the subsequent media circus was enough to boost the show’s ratings, at least temporarily.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "What Does ABC Want From The Conners?," 27 June 2018
While there were no direct deaths due to the Fukushima Daiichi’s meltdown, but that’s not where nuclear disasters end.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The Belt That Protects Against Gamma Radiation," 27 June 2018
What’s changed since the SBInet meltdown, as Wired points out, is time.

— shoshana wodinsky, The Verge, "Palmer Luckey’s border control tech has already caught dozens of people," 11 June 2018
Not so long ago a document as radical as the draft Italian coalition program that surfaced on Tuesday night would have sent the markets into meltdown.

— simon nixon, WSJ, "Italy’s Fanciful Coalition Draft Draws Investors’ Incredulity—For Now," 16 May 2018
Once an aspiring writer, Marlo (Theron) is now hugely pregnant with her third child and exasperated beyond endurance by her second, Jonah, whose kindergarten teachers are complaining about his neurotic meltdowns in class.

— j.r. jones, Chicago Reader, "Like Juno, Diablo Cody's Tully is a tale of motherhood and waning youth," 10 May 2018
Global warming, nuclear meltdowns, earthquakes, and hurricanes...

— the editors, Outside Online, "The Best Survival Tools, According to Preppers," 19 Apr. 2018
The past decade featured the global financial crisis, severe weakness in the euro area, a commodity meltdown, and concerns about China.

— Bloomberg.com, "Where Can You Invest to Take Advantage of Synchronized Growth?," 3 Apr. 2018
Considering the young fan base that worships the pop culture real estate the pair occupies, the news quickly sent social media into a meltdown of feels.

— topher gauk-roger, CNN, "Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid part ways in #heartbreaking split," 13 Mar. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

melt down

verb

Definition of melt down

intransitive verb

: to suffer a meltdown : collapse

Examples of melt down in a Sentence

apparently beset by personal problems, the actor proceeded to melt down before startled theatergoers

First Known Use of melt down

1956

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

melt down Synonyms

Synonyms

break down, break up, crack, flip (out) [slang], freak (out), wig (out) [slang];

Related Words

choke;

Phrases

blow one's cool, fall apart, go off the deep end, go to pieces, lose it;

MELTDOWN Defined for English Language Learners

meltdown

noun

Definition of meltdown for English Language Learners

: an accident in which the core of a nuclear reactor melts and releases radiation
: a very fast collapse or failure
: a very fast loss of emotional self-control