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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

meltdown

2 of 2

noun

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. 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
Most of the statue was melted down and reformed into musket balls, and several of these are on display in the opening section of the show across from four large intact pieces of the original. — Cat Dawson, ARTnews.com, 3 July 2026 Parents won't spend the day pushing strollers across sprawling pathways trying to cover ground before someone melts down. — Jacqueline Dole, Southern Living, 30 June 2026
Noun
The transaction is an example of the meltdown in office building values in the years following the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. — George Avalos, Mercury News, 16 July 2026 For reasons that are, at best, hazy, Lonnie had a meltdown of some amorphous type that had some sort of non-specific impact on his overall psyche, leaving him stuck in a nebulous rut. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 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
  • ScreenshotA complaint that appears to have been filed on July 8, 2021, through the county's SeeClickFix, or 311, online reporting system described cracking and chipping concrete pillars in the building's underground parking garage.
    — Drew Aunkst, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • While no California city cracked WalletHub’s top 50 spots for first-time buyers, several communities ranked well above many other cities in the state.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of crack
Noun
  • Of course, the collection sold out within minutes of dropping, sending shoppers into a tailspin.
    — Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 17 July 2026
  • If the roster is depleted any further by trades or injuries, the Angels could go into a tailspin and lose 100 games for the first time in franchise history.
    — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 15 July 2026
Definition of tailspin
Noun
  • Nonetheless, the quick collapse of the private equity proposal demonstrates that even a dominant FIFA president cannot override unified resistance from soccer’s most influential stakeholders.
    — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Springs also earned his MLB-worst 11th loss of the season as his early exit set the stage for a late-inning bullpen collapse.
    — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • There are dozens more fires burning across the state, choking the air in Oregon and sending smoke across the country.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
  • As if all this isn’t enough to choke your brain, here is where the numbers get truly impressive.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 24 July 2026
Definition of choke
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of freak-out
Noun
  • Established by Congress in 1990, TPS gives temporary protection to people who don’t feel safe returning to countries plagued by disaster or armed conflict such as El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
    — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 30 July 2026
  • That was, frankly, ridiculous, and our coverage said as much, arguing that this deep dive into one of Hollywood’s most notorious genre disasters deserved a much wider release.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 July 2026
Definition of disaster
Verb
  • Productivity losses aside, excessive heat brings a slew of extra costs, from surging energy bills to emergency maintenance expenses as key equipment overheats and transport systems break down.
    — Oliver Balch, Fortune, 27 July 2026
  • Let’s break down 41 players with training camp just two days away.
    — Zach Berman, New York Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of break down
Noun
  • Embodied by Maradona, successive Argentinean national teams played with flair and toughness and an element of chaos, often on the edge of nervous breakdown.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 16 July 2026
  • After suffering a nervous breakdown and being taken care of by Marlon Brando’s daughter Cheyenne in Tahiti, Jones eventually returned to his life as a mogul of music, television and magazines.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 3 July 2026
Definition of nervous breakdown

Browse Nearby Words

melt (away)
melt down
meltdown
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Melt down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melt%20down. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All