as in to crack
to yield to mental or emotional stress
rather than melt down, the team strengthened their resolve and ended up winning the game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in tailspin
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in collapse
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of melt down
Ryan Brennan
april 20, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026
The former Exide Technologies plant in Vernon melted down pallets of lead-acid car batteries in blast furnaces for nearly a century, blanketing up to 10,000 nearby properties with toxic dust, according to state officials.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 May 2026
If the Cavaliers can't shake off their historic collapse and go on to lose this series, their Game 1 meltdown could wind up being an organizational turning point.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for melt down
Verb
Many original prints were later lost, particularly during World War I, when film materials were melted down for their silver and celluloid content.
—Ryan Brennan
april 20, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026
The former Exide Technologies plant in Vernon melted down pallets of lead-acid car batteries in blast furnaces for nearly a century, blanketing up to 10,000 nearby properties with toxic dust, according to state officials.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Noun
For most of her career, Gauff has rarely displayed anything close to a meltdown, rarely appeared to wrestle with the emotional demons that so often undo tennis players.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 May 2026
If the Cavaliers can't shake off their historic collapse and go on to lose this series, their Game 1 meltdown could wind up being an organizational turning point.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for melt down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melt down
Verb
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Minimizing soil disturbance is practiced in the springtime to loosen the soil by using a garden fork and sliding it into the soil at about a 30-degree angle, lifting up to just barely crack the soil.—
Special to The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
-
Then the German chemists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch cracked industrial nitrogen fixation in 1909, and the practical significance of the problem receded.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
29 May 2026
Noun
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That is, until a conversation about having children throws their relationship into a tailspin.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
28 May 2026
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As injuries to their pitching staff pile up and players desperately try to pull themselves out of a tailspin, the Chicago Cubs sent Jordan Wicks out to the mound Tuesday night.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Noun
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Throwing Israel ‘under the bus’ Netanyahu has pushed to strike Iran’s oil facilities to accelerate the regime’s collapse, the official said.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
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Then came the collapse of the Assad regime, in Syria, severing the land route long used by Hezbollah to transport rockets, antitank missiles, and precision-guidance systems from its Iranian patron.—
Euan Ward,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Here are some common culprits of both types of skin freak-outs.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
15 May 2026
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The episode was almost entirely about Margo and her continued freak-out.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The offense has been a disaster, the pitching staff has sustained some key injuries and the club has spent the first two months struggling to keep its head above water.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
The Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters maps and tracks every chemical disaster reported by the media on its website.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Noun
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This happened years before, in such a serious way that my friend had to take a three-month medical leave of absence due to what was likely a nervous breakdown.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
-
When their news anchor (Peter Finch) has a nervous breakdown on the air, suddenly their ratings turn around, bringing on a moral morass only some of them are prepared to face.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Liaquat Ahamed has spent his career studying the moments when the world’s financial system breaks down — the bad bets, the collective delusions, and the geopolitical accidents that tip economies into catastrophe.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
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Richards had begun privately doubting the timeline—traveling to Paris and London for modeling work, looking around, and noticing an absence of catastrophe.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Hilton has raised crucial issues about Newsom’s overspending, low state K-12 test scores, high taxes choking the middle class, high gas prices and the endemic housing and homelessness crises.—
John Seiler,
Oc Register,
29 May 2026
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As discomforting as that sounds, there is no proof the 7-foot, 9-inch dolphin choked to death, according to Lauren Rust, executive director of the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network and South Carolina Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Melt down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melt%20down. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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