What does meltdown mean?
A meltdown is a severe failure or sudden collapse affecting a system, organization, market, or person. Its original technical meaning refers to a nuclear reactor whose core melts when cooling is inadequate, a disaster that can release radioactive material. In everyday and journalistic language, the word is much broader: a business can suffer a financial meltdown, a political situation can reach a constitutional or institutional meltdown, and a person can have an emotional meltdown, meaning that they temporarily lose control or the ability to manage ordinary responsibilities. The expression is especially appropriate when a failure is rapid, dramatic, and potentially difficult to reverse. It can sound informal or hyperbolic when applied to minor disruptions, so it is generally reserved for serious circumstances. The word is formed from “melt” and “down,” suggesting something that has melted or fallen apart downward.
A severe failure in which a nuclear reactor's core melts, or a rapid and catastrophic collapse of a system, organization, market, or person's emotional state.
"The warning signs of a nuclear meltdown could not be ignored."
The figurative sense is common in journalism and informal speech, but it can be overdrawn when used for relatively minor problems.
To undergo a rapid and catastrophic failure or collapse, especially in a nuclear reactor, financial system, organization, or person's emotional state.
"The computer system melted down during the busiest hour of the day."
Less common as a verb than as a noun; it is especially associated with reports of systems or institutions that have become unable to function normally.
The plural is “meltdowns.”
"The series of financial meltdowns exposed weaknesses in the banking system."
A reactor meltdown can happen when cooling fails and intense heat melts the nuclear fuel; the phrase now describes any fast-moving collapse that feels almost catastrophic.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does meltdown come from?
“Meltdown” is a compound of “melt” and “down.” Its earliest important use was in nuclear-reactor terminology, where a meltdown means the melting of a reactor core. The phrase was later extended figuratively to describe the collapse of financial systems, institutions, relationships, and personal composure. The nuclear sense supplied the word's strong image of catastrophic heat, loss of control, and danger.
Related word forms
How meltdown is actually used
The term is often journalistic or figurative. In modern usage, it commonly describes financial, political, organizational, or emotional collapse, and it may imply that recovery or repair is difficult.
Easily confused with meltdown
A breakdown is a general failure or interruption of a system or process, whereas a meltdown specifically suggests a severe and often dramatic collapse.