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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Steven Galanis, Co-Founder and CEO at Cameo, discusses creators, celebrities, cracking the code and the state of the creator economy with Scott Soshnick at Cannes Lions.
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Policymakers should treat it as a reminder that the country’s foundations are still cracking — and if the drift continues, the next rupture will be something darker.
Verb
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This practice carries risks, such as choking and aspiration, or food entering the airway.
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Eddie Jenkins had been arrested for domestic battery for allegedly choking Kiara Jenkins in 2009, prosecutors said.
Verb
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Not disappearing and not fully breaking down, but moving through a human body, into wastewater, through treatment systems never designed to catch it completely, and then out into coastal waters where tides blur the boundary between city and sea.
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However, Martinez might look to England’s clash with Croatia as a blueprint for success, with more opportunity to counterpress and spring forward to exploit the space in behind — rather than breaking down a stubborn low block.
Verb
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Researchers also found that breaking up blocks of being sedentary with movement can reduce the risk — and vigorous exercise isn’t required.
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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.
Cite this Entry
“Melting down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melting%20down. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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