Synonyms of collapse

collapse 1 of 2

verb

kə-ˈlaps 

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

• tumble
• go
• crumple
• crumble
• die
• buckle
• melt
• implode
• shatter
• give
• crash
• yield
• go out
• founder
• cave (in)
• give way
• burst
• break
• fail
• snap
• crack
• flatten
• deflate
• smash
• pop
• split
• stall
• break down
• give out
• melt down
• splinter
• conk (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rise
• swell
• inflate

2

as in to fail

to be unsuccessful

the legal case collapsed in the face of the opposition's evidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fail
• flop
• fold
• struggle
• miss
• bomb
• strike out
• tank
• fall short
• decline
• fall flat
• come up empty
• come to grief
• founder
• flunk
• die on the vine
• crash
• crater
• flame out
• lay an egg
• wash out
• come a cropper
• crumble
• slump
• fall on one's face
• slip
• skid
• implode
• flounder
• wane
• sink
• go under
• misfire
• miscarry
• self-destruct

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• go
• succeed
• work out
• deliver
• click
• go over
• come off
• thrive
• flourish
• cook
• triumph
• win
• prosper
• pan out
• prevail

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• compress
• squeeze
• condense
• consolidate
• pack
• narrow (down)
• compact
• contract
• capsule
• constrict
• simplify
• constringe
• telescope
• cram
• capsulize
• shrink
• shorten
• decrease
• downsize
• boil down
• curtail
• jam
• diminish
• abridge
• crowd
• abbreviate
• streamline
• concentrate
• jam-pack
• lessen

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• expand
• open
• decompress
• outspread
• dissipate
• disperse
• scatter
• dilate
• swell
• inflate
• outstretch
• distend

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exhaustion
• fatigue
• burnout
• disablement
• prostration
• weariness
• weakness
• tiredness
• faintness
• lassitude
• impotence
• frazzle
• feebleness
• lethargy
• debility
• debilitation
• inertia
• slumber
• enervation
• stupor
• infirmity
• frailty
• enfeeblement
• overfatigue
• sluggishness
• apathy
• passivity
• languor
• torpor
• listlessness
• frailness
• torpidity
• passiveness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• revitalization
• rejuvenation
• bounce
• refreshment
• energy
• vitality
• drive
• go
• strength
• snap
• punch
• vigor
• dash
• power
• starch
• zip
• rejuvenescence
• muscle
• sap
• pep
• liveliness
• ginger
• might
• verve
• zing
• potency
• vim
• vivacity
• puissance
• jauntiness
• briskness
• spiritedness
• sprightliness
• vivaciousness

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• defeat
• failure
• crash
• setback
• fizzle
• cropper
• nonsuccess
• futility
• nonachievement
• disappointment
• deficiency
• uselessness
• ineffectiveness
• ineffectuality
• inefficacy
• inadequacy
• insufficiency
• ineffectualness
• letdown
• inefficaciousness
• inadequateness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• success
• achievement
• accomplishment
• victory
• win

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of collapse

Verb

As Galarza and Olise faced up in an altercation, Olise pulled the Paraguayan’s jersey, but Galarza collapsed to the floor holding his face. — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Unlike straw or lower-grade wool blends, beaver felt can be reworked without collapsing its structure, which is what allows hats to be reshaped by hand rather than stamped out of a mold. — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 July 2026

Noun

Seen from that perspective, today’s retrenchment looks less like a collapse than like a return to reality. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2026

Reconfiguration What is emerging is neither the collapse of the United States nor a serious movement toward secession. — John Eger, Mercury News, 17 July 2026