meltdown

Meanings

Plural: meltdowns

Noun

• severe overheating of the core of a nuclear reactor resulting in the core melting and radiation escaping
• a disaster comparable to a nuclear meltdown
  • "there is little likelihood of a meltdown comparable to the American banking collapse in March 1933"
• Severe overheating of the core of a nuclear reactor resulting in the core melting and potentially in radiation escaping.
• A situation being likened to a nuclear meltdown; a crisis.
• A tantrum or emotional outburst.
• An autistic response to stress or sensory overload, in which the person is overwhelmed by intense, seemingly disproportionate emotions, behaving erratically and becoming unable to mask.

Synonyms

nuclear meltdown, tantrum

Related Words

China syndrome