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

Folding drying racks provide plenty of hanging space and collapse for storage. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 16 Aug. 2026

In the southeastern side of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island, parts of the Pāhala Highway collapsed overnight into Sunday –– cutting off critical access to an area where one of the region’s only hospitals is located. — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026

Noun

But its collapse has led investors and stakeholders to sell off the company’s remaining assets, which include physical and digital property. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026

Ilie and his Colgate University colleague Sohan Ghodla questioned if supermassive balck hole growth began with heavy seeds, and if these heavy seeds were created by the collapse of dark stars. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026