meltdown

[melt-doun]

noun

1. the melting of a significant portion of a nuclear-reactor core due to inadequate cooling of the fuel elements, a condition that could lead to the escape of radiation.

2. a quickly developing breakdown or collapse.

   a bond-market meltdown;

   the meltdown of a marriage.

3. Informal.,  a sudden loss of control over one’s feelings or behavior.

   My toddler had a meltdown when I tried to leave the house.

meltdown

/ ˈmɛltˌdaʊn /

noun

1. (in a nuclear reactor) the melting of the fuel rods as a result of a defect in the cooling system, with the possible escape of radiation into the environment

2. informal,  a sudden disastrous failure with potential for widespread harm, as a stock-exchange crash

3. informal,  the process or state of irreversible breakdown or decline

   the community is slowly going into meltdown

meltdown

1. Severe overheating of a nuclear reactor core, resulting in melting of the core and escape of radiation.

meltdown

1. The most serious accident that can occur at a nuclear reactor. In a meltdown, the radioactive material in the reactor becomes very hot, melting some or all of the fuel in the reactor. A meltdown may or may not be followed by the release of radioactive material to the environment. A partial meltdown, with very little external radiation, occurred at Three Mile Island (see also Three Mile Island) in 1979; a complete meltdown happened at Chernobyl in 1986.

Word History and Origins

Origin of meltdown¹

First recorded in 1960–65; noun use of verb phrase melt down

Example Sentences

In 1979, she played a reporter in “The China Syndrome,” a film about a fictional meltdown at a nuclear power plant near Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

But even then he and his teammates had to wait out the nightly bullpen meltdown before escaping with a 10-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

From Los Angeles Times

Closer Tanner Scott has converted less than one-third of his save opportunities, his ERA rising to 4.91 after his latest meltdown on Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times

Often, the flow is one of dueling actor meltdowns, a combination of “Topsy-Turvy” and Howard Hawks’ “Twentieth Century.”

From Los Angeles Times

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said Labour was in "complete meltdown" and its integrity was "in tatters".

From BBC

Related Words

• accident 
• adversity 
• calamity 
• casualty 
• cataclysm 
• crash 
• debacle 
• devastation 
• disaster 
• emergency 
• failure 
• fiasco 
• hardship 
• misery 
• mishap 
• tragedy 
• trouble 
• wreck