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
-
That is what literally cracks open everything.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026 -
Anthony cracks Top 50 Roman Anthony only has 71 big league games under his belt, but the promising Red Sox outfielder is already earning widespread acclaim from across the sport.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Or what heating options are available if the chip breaks down?—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
-
During ketosis, the body breaks down fat into ketones and uses them for fuel.—
Chelsea Rae Bourgeois,
Health,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Bond chokes Blofeld, who quickly dies from the virus.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Much of the work focused on pulling out English ivy, an invasive vine known for slowly killing trees, and clearing debris that chokes the forest floor.—
Brian Unger,
CBS News,
19 Jan. 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 9 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
