1 B1 neutral
To heat a solid object, especially metal, until it becomes liquid.
"The old coins were melted down to make new jewelry."
separable
melt down
B1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To heat a solid material until it becomes liquid; or to experience a severe emotional or systemic collapse.
In plain English
Heat something until it turns into liquid, OR completely lose control of your emotions, OR have a major system failure.
What does "melt down" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic informal
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."
inseparable
3 B2 neutral
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— Standard historical reference to the Chernobyl disaster, widely documented in encyclopedias and news archives
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To apply heat and cause something solid to 'melt down' into liquid — fully transparent.
Actually means
Heat something until it turns into liquid, OR completely lose control of your emotions, OR have a major system failure.
Usage tip
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.
Words that pair with "melt down"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
nuclear emotional reactor metal gold system
How to conjugate "melt down"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
melt down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
melts down
he/she/it
Past simple
melted down
yesterday
Past participle
melted down
have + pp
-ing form
melting down
continuous
Hear "melt down" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "melt down" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "melt down"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.