melt down 1 of 2

verb

Definition of melt downnext
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

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meltdown

2 of 2

noun

1
as in tailspin

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in collapse

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of melt down
Verb
Here’s why How junk silver is valued The price of junk silver is based on its melt value — the value of the silver content if the coin were melted down. — Nick Perry, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026 Thieves also are increasingly targeting museum items with gold and other precious metals that can be melted down and with gemstones that can be removed and sold, the agency said in a report in August. — ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026
Noun
An explosion or a meltdown on the moon’s surface would risk turning entire regions into no-go zones. — Selam Gebrekidan, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 America’s cost-of-living concerns and a bond market meltdown aren’t functions of a sputtering economy that’s running out of gas. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for melt down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melt down
  1. crack
  2. tailspin
  3. collapse
  4. choke
  5. freak-out
  6. disaster
  7. break down
  8. nervous breakdown
Verb
  • The researchers developed their fiber-optic system to detect acoustic emissions, or small vibrations produced when materials undergo changes such as cracking.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Several months later, the discovery of the two suitcases in Wisconsin would crack the case wide open.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of crack
Noun
  • The financial costs from the Iran war likely help explain why consumer confidence is in a tailspin and why the war is so unpopular.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Chargers star Khalil Mack could be an option should Los Angeles continue its tailspin after starting 0-4.
    — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of tailspin
Noun
  • The study does not establish that every future change is irreversible or that Thwaites must accelerate toward total collapse.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • David Waldowski Laguna Woods The excuses for the Dodgers collapse flew off the page minutes after the last out of Game 4.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • On top of store closures and unsold inventory, the company was choking on enormous debt from a private equity buyout in 2014.
    — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • DeShantz is also accused of choking the woman and throwing her to the ground outside of his home in the city's Allentown neighborhood.
    — Mike Darnay, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of choke
Noun
  • The Derby’s question is quite often decided by whichever colt or filly has the racing focus and the strength not to succumb to his or her ambient freak-out.
    — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Even so, the nation’s collective freak-out should serve as a wake-up call to both the food industry and regulators.
    — Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Definition of freak-out
Noun
  • Faizi said ambulances and disaster management personnel arrived from a nearby facility within five minutes of being alerted.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For example, largely because of the environmental disaster that is Weikuang Dam, the country doesn’t permit the development or operation of stand-alone monazite mines—that is, mines where nothing is mined except monazite ore.
    — Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of disaster
Verb
  • Kering, parent of Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Brioni, McQueen and several jewelry houses, no longer breaks down revenues by brand except for Gucci, but noted that Saint Laurent returned to growth in the first half of 2026.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Fiber, fat, and protein slow down your digestion, so as your body breaks down carbs, glucose is released more gradually into the bloodstream.
    — Trista Chan, HEALTH, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of break down
Noun
  • As rumors grew about why Talarico was not seen in public during one of the tightest campaigns in the country, Paxton suggested that the Democratic hopeful had suffered a nervous breakdown of some kind.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
  • This had resulted in several nervous breakdowns during my first few weeks back home.
    — Joe Manganiello, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of nervous breakdown

Browse Nearby Words

melt (away)
melt down
meltdown
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Cite this Entry

“Melt down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melt%20down. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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