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
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Recent Examples of meltdown
Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
When Kiki walks out, Gretchen has a classic Housewives meltdown where the tears are moving, but not a single other muscle in her face is.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 22 July 2025
The Guard in 1992 arrived in a city that had melted down: More than 60 people died, 1,000 buildings burned and unrest stretched from City Hall to Hollywood, with whole swaths of South Los Angeles torn to shreds.
—Jim Newton, Mercury News, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for meltdown
Verb
Creating a buzz Fast forward to last Monday, when Alcaraz emerged at Arthur Ashe Stadium sporting a new buzzcut, and Martínez’s Instagram went into meltdown again.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
When Kiki walks out, Gretchen has a classic Housewives meltdown where the tears are moving, but not a single other muscle in her face is.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
But over the weekend, as the world refused to move on from his administration’s bizarre handling of the Epstein files—which has led segments of his base to completely melt down—Trump went on a posting spree that was alarming, even by his own standards.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 22 July 2025
The Guard in 1992 arrived in a city that had melted down: More than 60 people died, 1,000 buildings burned and unrest stretched from City Hall to Hollywood, with whole swaths of South Los Angeles torn to shreds.
—Jim Newton, Mercury News, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for meltdown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meltdown
Verb
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Finally, place the eggs in an ice bath to completely cool before cracking, peeling and eating.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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In fact, that has been mentioned as one of the reasons why the show’s second season, unlike the first one, didn’t crack the Top 10 in the US, UK, or globally in its first week.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But modern-day challenges have forced leaders into a tailspin and turned leadership into a losing game.—
Dr. Adil Dalal,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Wisconsin wants to start a new string of bowl appearances after allowing its streak of 22 straight winning season to end with a late tailspin a year ago.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Was the specter of Cracker Barrel’s collapse and bankruptcy a mere fancy?—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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Ultimately, at over 100 kilonewtons of force, the structure groaned under the force before one of the beams finally gave away in an intentional collapse that provided critical data for the study.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But that possibility is literally dynamited in a vision Daria has of the home abruptly blown to smithereens, the destruction replayed in slo-mo to the crashing squeals of early Pink Floyd, itself a collapse of psychedelic rock’s utopian ideals into acid-casualty freak-out.—
Jake Cole,
IndieWire,
18 Aug. 2025
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The dog remained unfazed during Fowler's minor freak-out.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
Noun
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Recently published studies about people affected by the Maui and Los Angeles fires showed that beyond affecting heart and lung function and interrupting access to medical care, these climate disasters have led to higher rates of depression and even suicide.—
Lahari Vuppaladhadiam,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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As someone who evacuated but was still directly impacted by the storm, Shepard used her lived experience to influence her research on colonial disasters.—
Essence,
Essence,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Originally published in 1961, the novel follows Josephine, a young woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
19 Aug. 2025
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Then there was Spark’s nervous breakdown in January 1954.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
10 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Not like a bloodbath or anything.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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The series, based on the book by Andrea Mara, also stars Dakota Fanning, Jake Lacy, Sophia Lillis and Michal Peña. Death by Lightning (Netflix) Nov. 6 After wrapping up the political bloodbaths of Westeros years ago, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are turning to more recent, and real, history.—
Lucy Ford,
Time,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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British filmmaker Stephen Woolley (Carol, The Crying Game) has warned that tariffs, if imposed, could choke an already fragile indie sector.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
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He is accused of hitting his roommate more than two dozen times in the head and choking him for several seconds, according to the criminal complaint.—
John Diedrich,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Meltdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meltdown. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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