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
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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
Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
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
Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 2 June 2026
But Judy has a meltdown during a press briefing, when PTSD resurfaces from her time in the Rail Force, a Reagan-era military initiative to defend America by train.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for melt down
Verb
Few expected this outcome, since the ornate helmet in particular would have been virtually unsellable without being melted down.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
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
Noun
This time around, despite comparable conditions to last year, there was absolutely no repeat of the meltdown against Boisson.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 2 June 2026
But Judy has a meltdown during a press briefing, when PTSD resurfaces from her time in the Rail Force, a Reagan-era military initiative to defend America by train.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for melt down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melt down
Verb
-
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
-
Heck, even chores like grocery shopping and filling up on gas are enough to send me into a tailspin after looking at the bill.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
1 June 2026
-
That is, until a conversation about having children throws their relationship into a tailspin.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
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
Noun
-
Much of the freak-out was fed by polls supposedly showing Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco atop the field.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
Here are some common culprits of both types of skin freak-outs.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
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
Verb
-
And although Democrats went back and forth with the White House and congressional Republicans over a possible compromise, the talks eventually broke down, leading the GOP to pursue an alternate path forward.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
-
But the company touts itself as a more sophisticated method than merely detecting if a work is present in training data, rather breaking down on a more granular level how the works are being used.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Melt down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melt%20down. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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