From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmeltdownmelt‧down /ˈmeltdaʊn/ noun [countable, uncountable] 1 TPa very dangerous situation in which the material inside a nuclear reactor melts and burns through its container, allowing radioactivity to escape2 a situation in which prices fall by a very large amount or an industry or economic situation becomes much weaker The stock market crash might lead to financial meltdown.
Examples from the Corpus
meltdown• She raised a flipper-clawed foot, and a shadow the size of a meltdown scar fell over the busy-armed figure.• If foot and mouth can not be contained, it could precipitate a meltdown in the industry.• The mass of uranium soon becomes so hot that it melts and disperses, a phenomenon called meltdown.• Nastiness is only really relevant when there is a threat of social and economic meltdown.• If benefit systems hit meltdown, it's the specialist short-term associations that get hit hardest and quickest.• a global moral meltdownFrom Longman Business Dictionarymeltdownmelt‧down /ˈmeltdaʊn/ noun [singular]ECONOMICS a situation in which prices fall by a very large amount or an industry or economy becomes much weakerA near meltdown in overseas stock markets sent U.S. prices plunging for the third consecutive day.The situation is serious, but new measures have been introduced aimed at preventing a financial meltdown. 