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

Mr. Steele is also engrossed by the meltdown at the Heritage Foundation.

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You’re witnessing the meltdown of a core institution of British society.

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No snaking lines of cranky customers, passengers camped out on cots or travelers carpooling in a rental car to get to their destinations like we’ve seen during major airline meltdowns.

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On March 11, they needed those instruments to prevent a meltdown.

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A real estate market meltdown might cause these companies to lose money; there was no guarantee that they would actually go bankrupt.

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Related Words

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