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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Recent Examples of collapse
Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 18 Aug. 2025
When the dam collapsed, his home was in the way of the floodwater.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Wasting their playoff standing, holding the top National League wild-card spot by a game over the San Diego Padres, would be an especially painful collapse given how well the Cubs played the first three months.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Verb
White dwarfs are the dense remnants of stars like our sun that have exhausted their fuel supplies and collapsed into Earth-size objects.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 18 Aug. 2025
When the dam collapsed, his home was in the way of the floodwater.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
The German collapse in April 1945 allowed the Americans to survive.
—Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Wasting their playoff standing, holding the top National League wild-card spot by a game over the San Diego Padres, would be an especially painful collapse given how well the Cubs played the first three months.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapse
Verb
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The man tumbled hundreds of feet down the mountain, suffering cuts, scrapes, bruises and a leg injury that left him unable to move, rangers said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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The Amalfi Coast, however, tumbles into sapphire seas—its lemon groves clinging to cliffs and pastel villages stacked like dreams.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Crucially, many systems still fail to consider complexities like second marriages, age diversity, regional variation or cross-cultural compatibility.—
Anuradha Gupta,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Guests who fail to comply will be asked to cease smoking.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The monitor measures 16 by 24 by 8.1 inches (HWD) compressed and reaches 20.3 inches when fully extended.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
5 Aug. 2025
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Happily, there’s a counter movement on social media that celebrates rather than compresses round faces.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
31 July 2025
Noun
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Overworking can actually lead to diminishing returns, where exhaustion causes mistakes and reduces efficiency.—
Kent Ingle,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
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According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, common symptoms of Valley fever include: Cough Fever Pain in the chest Fatigue or a constant feeling of exhaustion Who is most at risk for Valley fever? Valley fever gets its name from California’s San Joaquin Valley.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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That’s twice as many defeats as victories in games decided by a single run.—
Dan Schlossberg,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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That game also ended up being a soul-crushing loss for the reeling Bombers, as other newbies Camilo Doval, David Bednar and José Caballero also played pivotal parts in the defeat.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Other posts remain online long after going viral — even if the comments section is flooded with fans noting that a video or picture is falsified or abusive.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Aug. 2025
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Preston went missing for the first time in 1990, McCollum said.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
9 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Field gave a presentation to the startup’s board, self-assuredly outlining his research about the features users loved and which ones flopped.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
1 Aug. 2025
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Rebuilding an executive brand after an ugly headline takes messy phone calls, late-night revisions and the nerve to admit the first dozen remedies flopped in public view.—
Jon Michail,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
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To squeeze all this into exactly 100 days between Wrexham staging a promotion party after last season had ended and Tuesday’s cup tie against Hull is impressive.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
15 Aug. 2025
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Ewers was impressive finding A.J. Henning on one throw and squeezed a pass into a tight window to running back Ollie Gordon II.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Collapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapse. Accessed 24 Aug. 2025.
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