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
• tiredness
• weakness
• 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

Both sides have sought to inflict both military and economic pain, and negotiations have collapsed. — Toqa Ezzidin, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026

Gradually, starting with that sleep study, the tiers of thought propping up Britton’s worldview—that Buddhism is a cure-all, and that meditation was always beneficial, and could never cause harm—would collapse. — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026

Noun

State inspectors requested documentation from the company and had planned to interview workers on May 27, the day after the tank collapse. — ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026

Muhonen, who organized the exercise in Kuopio, said that comes partly from the system of conscription which continued in Finland, even after the collapse of the Soviet Union. — Emma Burrows, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026