melting down

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 Gossip blogger Perez Hilton was reportedly treated for a drug overdose after melting down during a livestream that caused concerns of self-harm. Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 14 Aug. 2026 If energy stocks are one way to profit from powering the boom, another lies in the hardware that keeps those AI factories from melting down. Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026 This is Gordo and Tracy sacrificing themselves by running onto the moon’s surface with only duct-tape suits to stop a nuclear reactor from melting down. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melting down
Verb
  • Traditional Republicans who have supported, or at least gone along with, the party’s attacks on Muslims and immigrants and its rejection of democratic norms have spoken out against cracking the door open for anti-Semites.
    Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Others are dressing up as John Politics in convincing cosplay, or cracking jokes about Powell as an alternate reality diplomat.
    Owen Carry, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The strait has become an increasingly important route for Saudi oil since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, choking Gulf exports.
    Frank Andrews, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Many squish toys rely on a special filling to get that enjoyable texture, but this filling can sometimes contain unsafe chemicals or choking hazards.
    Parents, Parents, 4 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • There were patches of pink, and some of his skin was visibly breaking down.
    Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2026
  • More consequentially for textile recycling, the researchers demonstrated the process on both PET/cotton and PET/spandex fabrics without similarly breaking down the companion fibers.
    Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • He had been targeted eight times by Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, breaking up three passes and only allowing two catches for 27 yards.
    Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • After breaking up between seasons, Gordon went to a dark place.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 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 16 Sep. 2026.

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