meltdown
[ melt-doun ]
/ ˈmɛltˌdaʊn /
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.
Nearby words
melrose abbey, melrose park, melt, melt in one's mouth, meltage, meltdown, meltemi, melter, melting point, melting pot, melton
Origin of meltdown
First recorded in 1960–65; noun use of verb phrase melt down
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for meltdown
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
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Word Origin and History for meltdown
meltdown
by 1937 in the ice-cream industry; by 1956 in reference to a nuclear reactor, from verbal phrase, from melt (v.) + down (adv.). Metaphoric extension since 1979.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for meltdown
meltdown
[ mĕlt′doun′ ]
Severe overheating of a nuclear reactor core, resulting in melting of the core and escape of radiation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Culture 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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.