melting down

verb

present participle of melt down
as in losing it
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of melting down Gossip blogger Perez Hilton was reportedly treated for a drug overdose after melting down during a livestream that caused concerns of self-harm. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 14 Aug. 2026 If energy stocks are one way to profit from powering the boom, another lies in the hardware that keeps those AI factories from melting down. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026 This is Gordo and Tracy sacrificing themselves by running onto the moon’s surface with only duct-tape suits to stop a nuclear reactor from melting down. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 July 2026 What beef tallow is and how it’s made Beef tallow is a white, shelf-stable cooking fat made by rendering — or melting down — the fatty tissue that surrounds a cow’s organs, according to Michelle Crouch at AARP. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 19 May 2026 Practice non-reaction This can feel counterintuitive, but sometimes the best strategy is to take a pause and not immediately react or intervene when your child is melting down. — ​wendy Wisner, Parents, 3 Apr. 2026 Sidestep a financial wrangle if someone is melting down. — Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2026 Explosions near the site had already damaged a high-voltage power line; Ukraine feared the failure of cooling systems that prevent nuclear fuel from melting down. — Robin Wright, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025 The first of the films is Blue Moon, a sweet-and-sour portrait of the lyricist Lorenz Hart (played by Ethan Hawke) melting down at a bar near the tail end of his Broadway career. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melting down
  1. cracking
  2. choking
  3. breaking down
  4. breaking up
Verb
  • But perhaps just as rewarding, and maybe even inspiring, is cracking open a book in a reader-friendly public space.
    — Adele Chapin, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Ross and Katsis, in particular, are part of a group of young wide receivers who may have trouble cracking the 53-man roster, but who could well form a chunk of Denver’s practice squad.
    — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of cracking
Verb
  • The man in black is wracked and choking, mangling the words, eyes dripping.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Additionally, rope toys can cause a choking hazard or even lacerate your dog’s digestive tract.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of choking
Verb
  • One key indicator of soil health is decomposition rates of complex organic matter, breaking down stuff like leaves, wood, even cadavers into simpler organic and inorganic compounds, releasing C02 and nutrients in the process.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • More consequentially for textile recycling, the researchers demonstrated the process on both PET/cotton and PET/spandex fabrics without similarly breaking down the companion fibers.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of breaking down
Verb
  • Even with an unnecessary roughness penalty in the fourth, Shelley made his reps count, making five tackles and breaking up a deep pass from Rams quarterback Ty Simpson intended for Tyler Scott.
    — Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Tasks included scooping and dumping sand or gravel, digging and grading trenches, clearing debris from roads, removing tree branches from water edges, and breaking up rocks.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of breaking up

Browse Nearby Words

melting (away)
melting down
melts
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Melting down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melting%20down. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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