Word.ws English Dictionary

China syndrome

Syllables: Chi·na syn·drome

China syndrome noun: a hypothetical kind of catastrophic failure in which a nuclear reactor melts through the floor of its containment system and (if on land) penetrates the Earth's surface, continuing downward as if (from a Western Hemispheric point of view) traveling through the planet toward China.

Noun (1)

China syndrome (countable and uncountable, plural China syndromes)

  1. (idiomatic, uncountable, nuclear physics) A hypothetical kind of catastrophic failure in which a nuclear reactor melts through the floor of its containment system and (if on land) penetrates the Earth's surface, continuing downward as if (from a Western Hemispheric point of view) traveling through the planet toward China.
    • The Ergen report contains an analysis showing that the high-temperature mass would sink into the earth and grow in size for about two years. […] This behavior projection is known as the China syndrome.1971 December 12, Ralph E. Lapp, “Thoughts on Nuclear Plumbing.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, page E11
    • Dr. Lowell: If that's true, we came very close to the China Syndrome.
      Kimberly Wells: The what?
      Dr. Lowell: If the core is exposed for whatever reason, the fuel heats beyond core heat tolerance in a matter of minutes. Nothing can stop it. And it melts down right through the bottom of the plant...1979, Mike Gray, T. S. Cook, James Bridges, The China Syndrome
  2. (countable, idiomatic, nuclear physics) A specific instance of this type of failure.
    • The report judged the risks of catastrophic nuclear power plant accidents (known as core meltdowns or China syndromes) to be socially acceptable.1983, Dorothy S. Zinberg, chapter I, in Uncertain Power: The Struggle for a National Energy Policy, →ISBN, page 43
    • Ames maneuvered the Avalon around the Alfa's bow, working the directional propeller carefully and adjusting trim to cruise down the other side, actually the top of the dead sub. "See any evidence of a hull fracture?"
      "No," the ensign answered, "just the two burn-throughs. I wonder what went...1984, Tom Clancy, “The Thirteenth Day: Wednesday, 15 December”, in The Hunt for Red October, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, →ISBN, pages 303–304
  3. (countable, idiomatic, sometimes fanciful) A behavior, policy, or situation characteristic of or involving China; an actual or potential catastrophe, especially one involving China.
    • And then there is the China syndrome. […] China now represents about 20% of Korea's total trade.2005, Justin Lahart. "Ahead of the Tape," Wall Street Journal (Eastern ed.), 6 Oct., p. C1
  4. A rare disease, first characterized in the early 1990s, which resembles polio but which has somewhat different characteristics and occurs in persons vaccinated for polio.
    • Unlike poliomyelitis, paralysis in China syndrome is symmetrical. In addition, cases are seasonal.2006, Pan American Health Organization, chapter I, in Poliomyelitis Eradication: Field Guide, →ISBN, page 49

Noun (2) capitalized: China Syndrome

China Syndrome (countable and uncountable, plural China Syndromes)

  1. (alternative) Alternative form of China syndrome.

Examples of China syndrome in a sentence

  • The molten mass did not even fully penetrate the 0.5-cm cladding, confirming tests in Karlsruhe, Germany, and in Idaho, that the "China syndrome" is not a credible possibility.2002 September 20, Douglas M. Chapin, Karl P. Cohen, W. Kenneth Davis, Edwin E. Kintner, Leonard J. Koch, “Nuclear Power Plants and Their...
  • Contrary to accounts in the media, he states, "bugs of this nature don't cause China Syndromes or missile launches, at least not generally."2000 January 11, Stan Sesser, “Now It's Time to Figure Out Who Caused All the Y2K Fuss”, in Wall Street Journal, →ISSN:

Forms of China syndrome

pluralChina syndromes
alternative formChina Syndrome
pluralChina Syndromes

Origin of China syndrome

From China + syndrome. Popularized via the 1979 disaster thriller film The China Syndrome.

Questions about China syndrome

What does China syndrome mean?
China syndrome means a hypothetical kind of catastrophic failure in which a nuclear reactor melts through the floor of its containment system and (if on land) penetrates the Earth's surface, continuing downward as if (from a Western Hemispheric point of view) traveling through the planet toward China.
How do you use China syndrome in a sentence?
The molten mass did not even fully penetrate the 0.5-cm cladding, confirming tests in Karlsruhe, Germany, and in Idaho, that the "China syndrome" is not a credible possibility.
What part of speech is China syndrome?
China syndrome is a noun.
What is the plural of China syndrome?
The plural of China syndrome is China syndromes.

Words near China syndrome in the dictionary

  1. China roses
  2. China Seas
  3. China shock
  4. China Standard Time
  5. China stone
  6. China syndrome
  7. China Syndromes
  8. China tea
  9. China teas
  10. China virus
  11. China viruses

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: China syndrome (page history and authors); China Syndrome (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-China syndrome.ogg.

Cite this entry: “China syndrome.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/china_syndrome. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.