collapse 1 of 2

verb

kə-ˈlaps How to pronounce collapse (audio)
Definition of collapsenext
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

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2
as in to fail
to be unsuccessful the legal case collapsed in the face of the opposition's evidence

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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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collapse

2 of 2

noun

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of collapse
Verb
One firefighter sustained minor burns after a ceiling collapsed on him inside the building, fire officials said. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2026 Last summer, a Seattle Mariners pitcher almost collapsed on the mound during a game. — Laura Schifter, Time, 17 July 2026
Noun
But emergency responders, fearing a collapse, had already closed off surrounding streets. — Andrew Rice, Curbed, 23 July 2026 The aggressive push by streamers has coincided with the near-total collapse of regional sports cable channels — outlets that were not so long ago the most profitable engines of pay TV. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for collapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapse
  1. tumble
  2. fail
  3. compress
  4. exhaustion
  5. defeat
  6. go
  7. flop
  8. squeeze
Verb
  • Shares in Volkswagen Group, which also owns Skoda and Audi, have tumbled more than 30% over the past 12 months and were trading down almost 2% early afternoon local time on Friday.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • There were signs of maturity beyond his years during the play-offs, when Sooryavanshi bided his time as wickets tumbled before exploding for a 47-ball 96 in a loss against the Gujarat Titans.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of tumble
Verb
  • Justice John Dixon said Bauer Media had failed to show the claims made about Wilson were substantially true or trivial.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • The state ethics commission accused the Georgia Republican Assembly and its political action committee of failing to disclose more than $180,000 of contributions and other violations.
    — David Wickert, AJC.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of fail
Verb
  • Coordinated inquiry across pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and asset managers was especially important in compressing the learning curve.
    — Martin Whittaker, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • Testing later revealed that the mass was caused by a staph infection that had settled in her spine and compressed her thoracic spinal cord at the T4-T5 level, leaving her paralyzed from the chest down.
    — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
Definition of compress
Noun
  • Punch was abandoned by his mother after his birth a year ago Sunday, presumably because of exhaustion.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
  • Rescue teams must also reach the victim and remove them from the water quickly, particularly when exhaustion, cold or rough conditions could make survival more difficult.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 24 July 2026
Definition of exhaustion
Noun
  • Germany crashed out of the tournament in a shock Round of 32 defeat to underdog Paraguay after a dramatic penalty shootout.
    — Thomas Schlachter, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • In the middle of that slate, the club was outscored 11-0 over three successive defeats.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
Definition of defeat
Verb
  • The whole scene looks like Carmy went full Dexter on the back of house crew.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 20 July 2026
  • Over the past week, the conflict between the United States and Iran has gone from a simmering tit-for-tat to something that much more resembles all-out war.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Definition of go
Verb
  • An honest caveat belongs here because the robots may yet flop.
    — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • The Daily Show spent almost four minutes waxing rhapsodic over that time Lenny Kravitz’s pants split open and his hog flopped out.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 July 2026
Definition of flop
Verb
  • Barbara Rainey, a Cherry resident of 76 years, said a school bus hit her cousin’s car while trying to squeeze between vehicles parked on either side.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2026
  • Tournament football isn’t generally conducive to pressing, with so many matches squeezed into such a short window, and without the cohesion that comes from club sides training together for months.
    — Michael Cox, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of squeeze

Browse Nearby Words

collages
collapse
collapsed
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Cite this Entry

“Collapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapse. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of collapse for Spanish Speakers

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