meltdown

1 of 2

noun

melt·​down ˈmelt-ˌdau̇n 

1

: the accidental melting of the core of a nuclear reactor

2

: a rapid or disastrous decline or collapse

warning of a stock market meltdown

3

: a breakdown of self-control (as from fatigue or overstimulation)

an exhausted toddler having a meltdown

melt down

2 of 2

verb

melted down; melting down; melts down

intransitive verb

1

of a nuclear reactor : to undergo an accidental melting of the core

2

: to experience a very fast collapse or failure

The stock market melted down today.

transitive verb

: to melt (something) so that it can be used for another purpose

melting down gold coins

Synonyms of meltdown

Verb

• crack
• fall apart
• lose it
• choke
• flip (out)
• go to pieces
• break down
• wig (out)
• freak (out)
• break up

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

Dropped by Creation in the early ’90s, MBV signed to Island, built a studio with a faulty mixing desk, and took a year to replace it, whereupon Shields had a meltdown. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 Nov. 2025

Deadline then revealed that Netflix had scouted out Brian Watkins and Julia McDermott’s Weather Girl, an apocalyptic one-woman play about a Californian weather girl in meltdown that staged sold out shows to rave reviews at Edinburgh. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025

Verb

Some experts fear the jewelry may have been melted down and sold on to avoid it being traced. —Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025

In early 2021, an army of retail traders made massive bets on meme stocks and briefly melted down the market. —Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1956, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1620, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for meltdown

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

meltdown

noun

melt·​down ˈmelt-ˌdau̇n 

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)