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
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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
Kif Leswing, CNBC, 27 June 2025
Haiti’s multifaceted crisis is also driven by a collapsing healthcare system, poor living conditions, and a lack of food security.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 27 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
Some of the companies are even publicly traded, and can see their stocks soar or collapse based on a kernel of news.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 27 June 2025
Haiti’s multifaceted crisis is also driven by a collapsing healthcare system, poor living conditions, and a lack of food security.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 27 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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Oil prices tumble from June 20 highs Unable to view our graphics?—
Jim Sergent,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
-
In 1996, a 3-year-old boy tumbled 24 feet into a gorilla enclosure after sliding through a barrier at a Chicago-area zoo.—
Mark Gray,
People.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Yet, there was a significant party divide over support for Israeli airstrikes against Iran's nuclear facilities if negotiations failed.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
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Why did selling fail as a strategy every time but once?—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
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
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Although Winters captures Sophie’s despair, her character gets compressed into a plot point and her arc produces a jarring shift in mood.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
20 June 2025
Noun
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While other editors navigated the daily grind in a visible state of exhaustion, Wintour, with her signature bob, dark sunglasses, and famously enigmatic composure, cultivated an air of mystery and authority that few could emulate.—
Jeetendr Sehdev,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Now, there are signs of upside exhaustion to suggest that MSFT may soon relinquish its leadership stronghold.—
Katie Stockton,
CNBC,
30 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
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But at Dodger Stadium on Sunday afternoon, teammate Max Muncy did it twice — hitting two home runs and matching a career high with seven RBIs to lift the Dodgers to a 13-7 defeat of the Washington Nationals, and make Ohtani more of the sideshow in his second pitching start of the season.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2025
Verb
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The transponders onboard Relay 2 stopped responding to radio signals in June 1967, after which point the satellite went silent—until last June.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
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As the story goes, Jackson Pollock stepped onto a canvas in 1947, drizzled some paint here and there, and God reached a bony finger down from the heavens and pressed it upon the scale of art history, tilting it from Europe to the United States.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
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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Paul Blackburn, with plenty of starting experience for Oakland, could squeeze into the picture too – especially if the Mets decide to try a six-man rotation that would save wear and tear on each man.—
Dan Schlossberg,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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When pancake is ready to flip, squeeze the cinnamon mixture into a swirl shape on top of the pancake batter, pressing the tip of the bag slightly into the batter.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Southern Living,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Collapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapse. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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