melting down

Definition of melting downnext
present participle of melt down
as in losing it
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

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 melting down Sidestep a financial wrangle if someone is melting down. Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2026 Explosions near the site had already damaged a high-voltage power line; Ukraine feared the failure of cooling systems that prevent nuclear fuel from melting down. Robin Wright, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025 The first of the films is Blue Moon, a sweet-and-sour portrait of the lyricist Lorenz Hart (played by Ethan Hawke) melting down at a bar near the tail end of his Broadway career. David Sims, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025 If those systems fail—or simply run out of diesel—the plant would have no way to stop the nuclear fuel inside those reactors from overheating and potentially melting down. Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025 Grok itself debunks the statement regarding Kirk; Musk’s AI tool cannot find evidence of Steele melting down over people mourning the assassination. Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2025 The secret is melting down pink Himalayan salt to combine it with maple syrup. Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2025 Some teams look fantastic before melting down within a few weeks (2024 New Orleans Saints) and others can get off to a rough start before blossoming within the first two months (2024 Washington Commanders). Mike Kaye september 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025 Naturally, Swiftopia is melting down over the possibility over what this could mean. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melting down
Verb
  • Some prime examples include titanium and nickel, which can make the final piece brittle and prone to cracking.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Now cosmologists in the international Collaboration for Observations, Models and Predictions of Anomalies and Cosmic Topology (COMPACT) have pushed, and the tidy picture is cracking.
    Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • That bottleneck, not the commissioning decline itself, is what’s choking the supply chain.
    Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Now, if only Herbert could stop choking in the playoffs.
    Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • However, only a few metals—mainly platinum—can perform efficiently in such environments without breaking down.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Mar. 2026
  • McCarthy, who’s road-tripped from his home in New York City, proceeds cautiously, stepping gently around the mess and breaking down boxes.
    Malina Saval, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • As the party was breaking up, officers reported hearing multiple gunshots near the home.
    Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
  • The pair make several successful films before breaking up, both romantically and professionally.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Melting down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melting%20down. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

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