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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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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
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026
Sitting at a red light, a red SUV and a gray pickup truck were waiting to go until both fell instantly as the road collapsed.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 28 Feb. 2026
Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 26 Feb. 2026
The dystopian extreme is AI model collapse, in which systems trained heavily on their own output begin to produce nonsense.
—R. Alexander Bentley, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Verb
In this scenario, stripped of high-paying salaries, prime borrowers default and tank the $13 trillion residential mortgage market, unemployment spikes above 10%, the stock market corrects down 38%, and the economy collapses into a deflationary spiral.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026
Sitting at a red light, a red SUV and a gray pickup truck were waiting to go until both fell instantly as the road collapsed.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 28 Feb. 2026
Noun
The company’s collapse left Pacific Coast Producers, a cooperative of growers, as the lone processor of peaches, and consequently, the only prospective buyer for nearly 75,000 tons of peaches otherwise grown for Del Monte.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 26 Feb. 2026
The dystopian extreme is AI model collapse, in which systems trained heavily on their own output begin to produce nonsense.
—R. Alexander Bentley, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapse
Verb
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Nastco | Getty Bitcoin tumbled more than 5% on Tuesday to fall below $63,000, as investors continued to grapple with escalating tariff tensions and broader geopolitical risks.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
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Trump backed down from a threat to launch a military invasion following congressional blowback, tumbling stock prices and criticism from America's closest allies.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Department of Justice filed federal lawsuits on Thursday against five states for failing to answer a request for complete voter registration lists.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
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Many earlier drives failed because target organisms developed mutations, thus preventing CRISPR cutting.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The shortest runways in the world make landing the journey’s most dramatic moment, where cliffs, gradients, tides and mountains compress aviation into a test of pure precision.—
Karina Acharya,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Feb. 2026
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Researchers have discovered that packed rice grains change their strength depending on how fast they are compressed.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The consequences of the fund’s exhaustion in 2040 would be severe for both seniors and health care providers.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
-
No bearish divergence, no exhaustion.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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That love was evident in abundance following the online racial abuse directed at Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho following the Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy.—
Aleks Klosok,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
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The rest all won at least 40 games before their 20th defeat.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As talented journalists go independent on Substack and YouTube and other legacy publications like The New York Times lean into personalization in nearly every element of their business, The Economist has resisted change.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
23 Feb. 2026
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What makes the shoe so appealing is its nonchalant, slip-on-and-go versatility.—
Minty Mellon,
Vogue,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Continue reading … DAVID MARCUS – Patriotic Team USA wins gold as anti-America whiners flop.—
,
FOXNews.com,
24 Feb. 2026
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He and most of the Cluely staff were flopped on a single sofa.—
Sam Kriss,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Before that, the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act that passed in January 2025 was already squeezing Social Security, CRFB said.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
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Video shows the women squeezing through the window and screaming obscenities at the people inside, while tossing food, beverages and packaging.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Collapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapse. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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