English noun: meltdown | |||
1. | meltdown (process) severe overheating of the core of a nuclear reactor resulting in the core melting and radiation escaping | ||
Synonyms | nuclear meltdown | ||
Broader (hypernym) | overheating | ||
2. | meltdown (event) a disaster comparable to a nuclear meltdown | ||
Samples | There is little likelihood of a meltdown comparable to the American banking collapse in March 1933. | ||
Broader (hypernym) | calamity, cataclysm, catastrophe, disaster, tragedy | ||