melt down 1 of 2

as in to crack
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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meltdown

2 of 2

noun

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 meltdown
Verb
In 2011, the Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown prompted the shutdown of all 54 reactors nationwide. Hudson Lockett, Reuters, 11 Sep. 2025 Perrin, 64, went viral 20 years ago thanks to her infamous meltdown on Trading Spouses in 2005. Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
Naturally, Swiftopia is melting down over the possibility over what this could mean. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025 But over the weekend, as the world refused to move on from his administration’s bizarre handling of the Epstein files—which has led segments of his base to completely melt down—Trump went on a posting spree that was alarming, even by his own standards. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 22 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for meltdown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meltdown
Verb
  • That was more than enough to truly crack American radio and sell an avalanche of CDs, cassettes, and concert tickets far beyond Albion’s shores.
    Jesse Adams, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
  • By definition, Kerberoasting attacks work only when a password is weak enough to be cracked, raising questions about the strength of the one the Ascension ransomware attackers compromised.
    Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Relying on competing tactics for dealing with this stress is often what throws couples into a tailspin.
    Kinsey Gidick, AFAR Media, 11 Sep. 2025
  • But modern-day challenges have forced leaders into a tailspin and turned leadership into a losing game.
    Dr. Adil Dalal, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Rangers don’t hold the tiebreaker over either team and would need a massive collapse from both to get back in the division hunt.
    Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2025
  • None of the engagements produced their intended outcomes, and, in the case of Colvin’s dealings with Mauriss, the collapse of their pact led to legal threats.
    Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But that possibility is literally dynamited in a vision Daria has of the home abruptly blown to smithereens, the destruction replayed in slo-mo to the crashing squeals of early Pink Floyd, itself a collapse of psychedelic rock’s utopian ideals into acid-casualty freak-out.
    Jake Cole, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2025
  • The dog remained unfazed during Fowler's minor freak-out.
    Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Noun
  • This includes adding redundancy to vital systems, segmenting networks so that a compromise in one area does not spread unchecked, and developing explicit incident response processes that incorporate both cyber and physical disaster management.
    Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Last year alone, disasters costing $11 billion hit Florida, according to data from the National Centers for Environmental Information, with a total cost between $300 billion and $450 billion from 1980 to 2024.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • That character is Mike Tyler (Chris Evans), a Hollywood star recovering from a recent nervous breakdown and attending a garish eco-friendly charity party for the super-super-rich that’s being held in a fantastically austere Greek mine.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025
  • One powerful scene in episode 2 shows Knox having a nervous breakdown when she is taken back to the scene of the crime and asked to open the knife drawer in the kitchen to determine if any are missing in an effort to locate the murder weapon.
    Nicole Briese, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • After the bloodbath on the Godolkin campus in the season 2 finale, Andre, Marie (Jaz Sinclair), Jordan (played by both London Thor and Derek Luh), and Emma (Lizze Broadway) were carted off to Elmira Adult Rehabilitation Center, which is essentially a supe prison.
    Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The Denver Nuggets are one of the few teams who can take down the Thunder The Western Conference is going to be a bloodbath for the next few years, especially with how loaded the Thunder are.
    Ryan Stano, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • To avoid choking hazards, the researchers recommend pureeing blueberries for younger infants and mashing or cutting them into small pieces for older babies and toddlers.
    Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
  • That December, Cilivea Thyrion, 20, choked to death on an adult diaper while housed in a special needs pod.
    Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 16 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Meltdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meltdown. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

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