as in cracked
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of melted down
When his kids melted down and started shrieking over the usual tantrum-inducing nonsense that sometimes sets off 4-year-olds, Buttigieg looked around nervously, gathered his family, and left the shop fast.
—
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Hello from Milan and Cortina, where the USA women’s hockey team will face a familiar foe in the gold-medal game, two Americans were on the podium in women’s monobob and a Norwegian skier melted down after losing out on a medal.
—The Sports Desk, NBC news, 16 Feb. 2026
Inside the Arts District campus workspace, plastic donations are sorted, shredded and melted down using specialized equipment before being molded into new objects or artwork.
—Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Stolen Louvre loot worth $102 million may be melted down.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
Keys are typically made of brass or a combination of metals that can be melted down and repurposed into new items.
—Katie Cloyd, Martha Stewart, 17 Jan. 2026
Jewelry often gets melted down.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 17 Dec. 2025
Wildly unpopular, of the 1 million coins minted, nearly 860,000 were returned to the Mint and melted down, according to the American Numismatic Association.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
Haddy also offers environmental benefits in terms of waste reduction and resource efficiency because their creations can be melted down and used to produce new objects.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Hello from Milan and Cortina, where the USA women’s hockey team will face a familiar foe in the gold-medal game, two Americans were on the podium in women’s monobob and a Norwegian skier melted down after losing out on a medal.
—The Sports Desk, NBC news, 16 Feb. 2026
Inside the Arts District campus workspace, plastic donations are sorted, shredded and melted down using specialized equipment before being molded into new objects or artwork.
—Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Stolen Louvre loot worth $102 million may be melted down.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
Keys are typically made of brass or a combination of metals that can be melted down and repurposed into new items.
—Katie Cloyd, Martha Stewart, 17 Jan. 2026
Jewelry often gets melted down.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 17 Dec. 2025
Wildly unpopular, of the 1 million coins minted, nearly 860,000 were returned to the Mint and melted down, according to the American Numismatic Association.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
Haddy also offers environmental benefits in terms of waste reduction and resource efficiency because their creations can be melted down and used to produce new objects.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melted down
Verb
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When confronted with this stat, captain and midfielder Ashley Westwood cracked a joke.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Mar. 2026
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In the Los Angeles area and a few places around the San Francisco Bay Area, the cost of gas has cracked $5-per-gallon again and is even tipping toward $6 in a few places.—
Iris Kwok,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Police learned Smothers was on the phone with the woman when Lang, her new boyfriend, had choked her a week earlier in front of at least one of their kids.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
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The conflict has also choked a key shipping lane, threatening the global cargo industry.—
Marissa Martinez,
NBC news,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The singer then broke down in hysterical laughter, falling onto the table in front of her and shoving her microphone away.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Mar. 2026
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Steelers coach Mike McCarthy and Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson broke down each of those fundamentals, passing concepts, game situations and more during a formal meeting at the NFL Scouting Combine this week.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Melted down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melted%20down. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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