meltdown

[ melt-doun ]

/ ˈmɛltˌdaʊn /

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See synonyms for meltdown on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

a quickly developing breakdown or collapse: a bond-market meltdown;the meltdown of a marriage.

Informal. a sudden loss of control over one’s feelings or behavior: My toddler had a meltdown when I tried to leave the house.

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Origin of meltdown

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

Words nearby meltdown

Melrose, Melrose Abbey, Melrose Park, melt, meltage, meltdown, meltemi, melter, melting point, melting pot, melt in one's mouth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use meltdown in a sentence

They wouldn’t respond to their meltdowns by holding them down or locking them away, instead of taking the time to figure out what is bothering them.
The very real, very painful reasons the autistic community demanded two restraint scenes be removed from Sia’s new film ‘Music’|Theresa Vargas|February 10, 2021|Washington Post
I had to learn to steer clear of high-stimulus activities because they triggered meltdowns, where I am suddenly and uncontrollably overwhelmed to the point of physically acting out, yelling at people or sobbing, often all at once.
I’m autistic. I’m hoping I can wear a mask for the rest of my life.|Christine M. Condo|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
He built Giga by acquiring several firms and, when the young firm was struggling after the dot-com meltdown in 2000, he sold it for about $60 million to Forrester Research.
Gideon Gartner, visionary of technology research, dies at 85|Glenn Rifkin|December 18, 2020|Washington Post
After the mortgage meltdown of the 2000s, regulators imposed so many new rules and restrictions that banks decided it was better to standardize their operations to avoid any missteps.
Bankers were the villains of the last recession. They can be heroes in this one|matthewheimer|December 11, 2020|Fortune

Executives at Bank of America, like their peers at JPMorgan and Citigroup, credit government stimulus, like the $2 trillion CARES Act, for preventing a meltdown.
The biggest US banks show the worst is yet to come for the economy|John Detrixhe|October 16, 2020|Quartz
The Big Five banks dubbed too big to fail, are 35 percent bigger than they were when the meltdown was triggered.
Sen. Warren’s Main Street Crusade to Pressure Clinton|Eleanor Clift|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Last year, it began to recover a bit for the first time since the meltdown—it was logged at $52,100 in June 2013.
The Real Reason Democrats Lost|Michael Tomasky|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then in 2008, the year of the meltdown, it dropped to $53,644.
The Real Reason Democrats Lost|Michael Tomasky|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The deficit is down to 2.8 percent of GDP, from a high of 10.1 percent in the wake of the meltdown.
The Real Reason Democrats Lost|Michael Tomasky|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But he had his debut as ‘supporting actor in a celebrity meltdown’ way back in 2007 with Britney Spears.
Sam Lutfi Is Young Hollywood’s Most Infamous Svengali|Amy Zimmerman|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for meltdown

meltdown

/ (ˈmɛltˌdaʊn) /

noun

(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

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

informal the process or state of irreversible breakdown or declinethe community is slowly going into meltdown

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for meltdown

meltdown

[ mĕlt′doun′ ]

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

Cultural definitions for meltdown

meltdown

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.

meltdown

Origin of meltdown

Words nearby meltdown

Words related to meltdown

How to use meltdown in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for meltdown

Scientific definitions for meltdown

Cultural definitions for meltdown