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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1
as in tailspin
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Dissimilar Words
2
as in collapse
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of meltdown
Nbc News, NBC news, 21 June 2025
These smart picks help turn idle airtime into downtime well spent—no Wi-Fi meltdown or screaming toddler required.
—Jill Schildhouse, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 26 June 2025
When a system is melting down at 3 a.m. and the on-call engineer is bleary-eyed, that’s when your tool’s UX truly matters.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for meltdown
Verb
Maxar Grossi added that a direct hit on the Bushehr power plant could also cause a dangerous meltdown and radioactive leak.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 21 June 2025
These smart picks help turn idle airtime into downtime well spent—no Wi-Fi meltdown or screaming toddler required.
—Jill Schildhouse, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
Noun
In fact, during antiquity, most statues depicting gods, heroes and politicians were later destroyed or melted down to make tools, such as weapons or even kitchen utensils, according to the University of Maryland.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 26 June 2025
When a system is melting down at 3 a.m. and the on-call engineer is bleary-eyed, that’s when your tool’s UX truly matters.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for meltdown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for meltdown
Verb
-
In the past four years, four Utes TEs (Cole Fotheringham, Thomas Yassmin, Dalton Kincaid, and now Lohner) have cracked pro rosters.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
7 July 2025
-
Last month, the company announced plans to drive vehicles manually in New York for testing, marking the first step toward potentially cracking the largest U.S. city.—
Jennifer Elias,
CNBC,
7 July 2025
Noun
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Hudson’s Bay was spun off and went bankrupt, Saks and Neiman’s vendors were thrown into a tailspin by a yearlong schedule to repay past due bills and 90-day payment terms on all shipments going forward.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
7 July 2025
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The loss of an apex predator, the introduction of an invasive species or even minor changes in climate or weather events can send island ecosystems into a tailspin.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
Noun
-
Metallica famously initiated the landmark lawsuit against peer-to-peer file sharing company Napster in 2000, which led to further suits that ultimately caused the company's initial collapse.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
-
Automatic proposal drafting, data ingestion, and benchmarking collapse non-billable hours, freeing margin that can be redeployed as fee discounts or reinvested in service upgrades or tooling.—
Noah Ohrner,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
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The dog remained unfazed during Fowler's minor freak-out.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
-
Oasis’s last tour, in 2008, was riven by fights, freak-outs, and sibling rivalry.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
7 June 2025
Noun
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As someone takes on roles that have elements of power associated with it, that can be a recipe for disaster.—
Heather V. MacArthur,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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The toxic combination led rebel Republican Sen. Thom Tillis to denounce it as a political disaster.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
30 June 2025
Noun
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But the high demands of a relentless industry proved too much and in late December 1964, Wilson suffered a nervous breakdown and stopped touring, becoming a full-time studio artist for the better part of more than a decade after that.—
Christina Maxouris,
CNN Money,
11 June 2025
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This looser, more straightforward approach works for the smaller scale and scope of Bottle Rocket, which begins with Luke Wilson’s Anthony leaving a voluntary treatment facility in Arizona after suffering a nervous breakdown.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Countless bloodbaths, several betrayals and 454 deaths later, Gi-hun, the baby and the baby's father—player No. 333 (played by Yim Si-wan), also known as Myung-gi—make it to the final game.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
-
On the surface, what Brunson did Thursday night in Detroit, hitting a game-winning 3 with 4.3 seconds left to help the Knicks win a bloodbath of a six-game series against the feisty Pistons, was needed to advance to the next round.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
Verb
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For more than a minute, audio captures the sounds of a struggle: grunting, choking.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
3 July 2025
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As a result, millions more children and vulnerable people will be forced to choke on toxic fumes while manufacturing executives pour more money into dying steel plants.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Meltdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/meltdown. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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