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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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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of collapse
Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 May 2026
So now, the Kennedy Center will collapse, both structurally and financially.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 30 May 2026
Samantha Subin, CNBC, 29 May 2026
That makes sense on the surface, as this entry-level hiring collapse has coincided almost exactly with ChatGPT’s arrival in late 2022.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Verb
Mendoza exited his bedroom to find that the roof of his unit had collapsed, allowing intense heat and heavy smoke into the unit.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 May 2026
So now, the Kennedy Center will collapse, both structurally and financially.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 30 May 2026
Noun
Vertical was once on the brink of collapse.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 29 May 2026
That makes sense on the surface, as this entry-level hiring collapse has coincided almost exactly with ChatGPT’s arrival in late 2022.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapse
Verb
-
Brent crude oil futures are more than 2% higher following the strikes, after tumbling 7% yesterday.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
26 May 2026
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However, the engines needed for the landing burn failed to relight properly, causing the booster to tumble and break apart after hitting the sea.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
23 May 2026
Verb
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However, the anticipated state finals clash was not to be as Calabasas dropped the baton in the Southern Section finals and failed to advance.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
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It has been cited seven times by the AQMD since 2012 for such things as failing to report breakdowns and failing to maintain a system that measures and records temperatures.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Sifting Out the Solution Since receiving his doctorate from the University of Cambridge in 2000, Chan had been developing and refining ways to compress complicated quantum states by focusing only on their most important configurations.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
29 May 2026
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The World Cup compresses all of this into one global cultural window.—
Jeff Fromm,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
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For leaders who repeatedly dismiss offers of help, stress can accelerate chronic exhaustion and burnout.—
Dilan Gomih,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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The exhaustion is visible everywhere.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
Noun
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That actually proved the prelude to an even more extraordinary attack on the board in his post-match press conference just 24 hours later, following a 2-1 defeat by Sunderland.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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The latest came in a 111-104 loss to the expansion Toronto Tempo on Wednesday at Wintrust Arena — the Sky’s third straight defeat since the season-ending loss of Rickea Jackson to a torn ACL.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Butlers here are called Aris Meehas, a historical Maldivian reference to someone assigned to serve royalty—thankfully, interactions are more easy-going than overly deferential.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
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After more than five innings of the Bulldogs trailing Liberty by one, struggling to get anything going, the Georgia third baseman crushed a two-run home run to left field.—
Sarah Spencer,
AJC.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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His first attempt, a dystopian fantasy, had flopped.—
Nathan Heller,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
-
Their plan flopped spectacularly.—
Ken Rosenthal,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Freddie Freeman squeezed one inside the left-field foul pole in the first inning, his fourth home run in nine games (after hitting just one in the previous 35 games).—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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The bedroom is now its own separate space—one that Konieczny managed to squeeze more custom storage inside—and despite having to move the shower and toilet, the bathroom is much more functional as well.—
Nicolas Milon,
Architectural Digest,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Collapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapse. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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