as in cracks
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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melts down
Verb
-
Gwen then cracks a joke about firing Del Rio's character.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026 -
There is a $100,000 reward for information that cracks the case.—
Michael Ruiz , Amanda Macias,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As the mulch breaks down or becomes unattractive, rake it away before applying a new layer.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The Daily Money breaks down complex consumer and financial news.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Group of Seven finance ministers are set to discuss a possible joint release of oil reserves on Monday, according to people familiar with the matter, as the Middle East war chokes flows from the region and sends prices soaring.—
Alberto Nardelli,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Their inclusion on the recent flight comes as the United States chokes the nation’s oil supplies in a bid for negotiations that could end up in regime change, sparking questions about whether Cuba will take more deportations to ease the political and economic pressure.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
While Sam begins hallucinating people as puppets, Justin breaks up with him.—
Olivia Singh,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Belly, devastated by the betrayal, slaps Jeremiah and breaks up with him.—
Alexandra Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Melts down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melts%20down. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
