melt down
Heat something until it turns into liquid, OR completely lose control of your emotions, OR have a major system failure.
Meanings
To heat a solid object, especially metal, until it becomes liquid.
"The old coins were melted down to make new jewelry."
To undergo a severe emotional breakdown, losing all composure and self-control.
"He completely melted down in front of the whole office when he heard he'd been passed over for promotion."
To suffer a catastrophic failure of a nuclear reactor's core, causing it to overheat uncontrollably.
"Engineers worked around the clock to prevent the reactor from melting down after the cooling system failed."
"The reactor at Chernobyl melted down in April 1986, causing the worst nuclear accident in history."
— Standard historical reference to the Chernobyl disaster, widely documented in encyclopedias and news archives
The literal sense (melting metal or materials) is straightforward. The figurative emotional sense ('she had a meltdown') is very common in everyday speech. The nuclear sense ('nuclear meltdown') is a specialized technical term that has entered common usage. 'Meltdown' as a noun is widely used for all three senses.
Commonly used with
Forms
Understand "melt down" better
Real video examples
Video examples are being collected. Check back soon.
Synonyms
Want to master this phrasal verb?
Practice "melt down" on Looplines