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
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Recent Examples of melting down
What beef tallow is and how it’s made Beef tallow is a white, shelf-stable cooking fat made by rendering — or melting down — the fatty tissue that surrounds a cow’s organs, according to Michelle Crouch at AARP.
—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
19 May 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
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
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
19 May 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melting down
Verb
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Roberts beelined to him, cracking inside jokes to gently prod him out of his shell.
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When revenue rises while communication, culture and customer experience start cracking, growth has become extraction.
Verb
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According to the criminal complaint, the boy told police Diggs began choking him before dragging him into the nearby alley.
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Officer Nicholas Samartino of the Woodbridge Police Department responded to a report that a 5-day-old infant was choking and experiencing difficulty breathing back in May, according to police.
Verb
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Chewing, as well as enzymes in your saliva, begin the process of breaking down food, which is then swallowed to travel through your esophagus into your stomach.
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Beating top teams is one (important) thing, breaking down more defensive sides is another.
Verb
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The bag provided the only real contrast in the outfit, breaking up the sea of black without disrupting its clean, minimalist feel.
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Shortly after breaking up with Dakota, Ainsley started dating Ryder, the high school quarterback.
Cite this Entry
“Melting down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melting%20down. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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