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
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of melt down
Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Practice non-reaction This can feel counterintuitive, but sometimes the best strategy is to take a pause and not immediately react or intervene when your child is melting down.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 3 Apr. 2026
The Editors, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026
When the subprime meltdown hit in 2008, the state budget was slashed from $103 billion in fiscal 2007-08 to $91 billion the next year.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for melt down
Verb
Except, in this case, cyber defenses have already melted down.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Practice non-reaction This can feel counterintuitive, but sometimes the best strategy is to take a pause and not immediately react or intervene when your child is melting down.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 3 Apr. 2026
Noun
Starting with Cassie’s biggest meltdown yet and Nate’s Fight Club-esque beatdown, all the way to Maddy and Jewel’s wedding attire, everyone is guilty of doing way too much.
—The Editors, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026
When the subprime meltdown hit in 2008, the state budget was slashed from $103 billion in fiscal 2007-08 to $91 billion the next year.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for melt down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melt down
Verb
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Temperatures may crack the 90s in the interior areas closer to the Central Coast by Sunday but are more likely Monday, according to the weather service.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
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The case was finally cracked when an ICE DNA swab was entered into the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database, triggering a direct match that led to his swift arrest.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Injuries to offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt sent the line into a tailspin.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Geoffroy van Raemdonck, who has been tasked with navigating Saks Global out of its post-bankruptcy tailspin as its new CEO, serves as an adviser to the company.—
Julia Black,
Vanity Fair,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Travellers flying in or out of the hub ogled the spectacle, a display of sudden corporate collapse.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
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The airline’s collapse followed years of instability, bankruptcy filings, engine recall issues affecting its fleet and failed merger attempts with Frontier Airlines and JetBlue.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Noun
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The episode was almost entirely about Margo and her continued freak-out.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
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For now, though, Chang is in her bubble up north and witnessing most of the freak-outs remotely and not in person.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In the aftermath of the BAFTA Film Awards, the BBC created a new set of protocols, which now need to be unleashed without a hitch as the public broadcaster bids to avoid a repeat of the disaster.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
8 May 2026
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The United Nations estimates that, all told, thousands of people have died or will die as a result of the disaster.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
8 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
Verb
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These commuter patterns mean that every weekday, for three hours in the morning and another three hours in the evening, Los Angeles is choked by gridlock.—
Oren Peleg,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
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Not the one who chokes in the playoffs.—
Geoff Clark OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Noun
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When comparing the age breakdown of Congress to the rest of the American workforce, there's a sizable gap.—
Elena Moore,
NPR,
7 May 2026
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Although the practice is still in the theoretical research stage, scientists have spent two decades studying the chemical compounds associated with the breakdown of the human body.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Melt down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melt%20down. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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