1
as in to tumble
to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure
the motel balcony collapsed under the weight of so many people
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to fail
to be unsuccessful
the legal case collapsed in the face of the opposition's evidence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to compress
to reduce in size or volume by or as if by pressing parts or members together
the novel collapses events from four separate trips into one long odyssey
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in exhaustion
a complete depletion of energy or strength
suffered a mental collapse under the strain of studying for his bar exam
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in defeat
a falling short of one's goals
the complete collapse of the invasion set off a round of finger-pointing and recrimination
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of collapse
Ruth Marks Eglash, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2025
Emergency crews were alerted at 1:30 p.m. that a man hiking by himself collapsed on the Valley Way Trail in Low & Burbanks Grant, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 18 June 2025
Narges Bajoghli, Time, 19 June 2025
Midway through the third quarter of Tuesday’s collapse against the Washington Mystics, the Chicago Sky barely could get the ball over the half-court line without committing an error.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Verb
Many of these allies, as well as the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, have collapsed over the last year and a half under Israeli military pressure.
—Ruth Marks Eglash, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2025
Emergency crews were alerted at 1:30 p.m. that a man hiking by himself collapsed on the Valley Way Trail in Low & Burbanks Grant, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 18 June 2025
Noun
This new generation of Iranian military commanders has also been battle-hardened in close-quarter conflict in Syria and understand how wars of state collapse can unfold.
—Narges Bajoghli, Time, 19 June 2025
Midway through the third quarter of Tuesday’s collapse against the Washington Mystics, the Chicago Sky barely could get the ball over the half-court line without committing an error.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapse
Verb
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That prompted a sell-off in stocks on Friday, with the Dow tumbling more than 700 points in the session.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
15 June 2025
-
In Henry King’s Jesse James (1939), Jesse and Frank, that is Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda, which is to say their stunt doubles, ride their horses over a cliff and tumble 70 feet into the Lake of the Ozarks.—
Thomas Doherty,
HollywoodReporter,
14 June 2025
Verb
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The rap producer has been incarcerated at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center since his September arrest, having failed to persuade multiple judges to release him to house arrest on a $50 million bond.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
23 June 2025
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The decline accelerated after reports indicated that Iran’s first attempt to retaliate by lobbing missiles toward a U.S. base in Qatar failed to cause any casualties.—
Ron Hurtibise,
Sun Sentinel,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Additionally, gross margins are projected to compress by 4 to 5 percentage points due to aggressive inventory clearance strategies.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
-
The lettuce is tightly compressed, and larger ingredients at the bottom don’t really move much with a simple shake.—
Wilder Davies,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 June 2025
Noun
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Similar to the chart of WTI crude oil, the VanEck Oil Services ETF (OIH) has improved intermediate-term momentum and no signs of upside exhaustion, increasing the likelihood of a breakout above a Fibonacci retracement level near $257 for a secondary objective of $298.—
Katie Stockton,
CNBC,
16 June 2025
-
Whether from the return of fasting or sheer exhaustion, players may become impassive.—
Jason Anthony,
The Atlantic,
14 June 2025
Noun
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His only loss prior to his UFC 311 setback to Makhachev was a March 2022 unanimous decision defeat to former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in a 160-pound catchweight battle.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
America provided the leading contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany.—
Carl Burdette,
Baltimore Sun,
22 June 2025
Verb
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Simple lifestyle and dietary changes are usually all that is needed to get back on track when things go awry.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
24 June 2025
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But there is no going all the way back; their faith and trust have been irreparably damaged.—
KORI SCHAKE,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
Verb
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Meta’s first glasses, the Ray-Ban Stories, flopped in 2021.—
Ani Freedman,
Fortune,
20 June 2025
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The 2023 2-Year-Old Champion stormed into 2024 with a huge Florida Derby (G1) win before flopping badly in the Kentucky Derby.—
Jared Welch,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Despite remaining hugely cash-generative at the operating level, outgoings on player transfers, loan interest and the £50million investment at the Carrington training ground have squeezed their ability to spend quite so readily as in the past.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
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Team-building is not about squeezing sufficient value out of every single contract or assembling a roster of yes men.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
16 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Collapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapse. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.
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