collapse

1 a complete depletion of energy or strength suffered a mental collapse under the strain of studying for his bar exam Synonyms burnout, fatigue, exhaustion, frazzle, lassitude, prostration, tiredness, wearinessRelated Words debilitation, debility, disablement, enervation, enfeeblement, faintness, feebleness, frailness, frailty, impotence, infirmity, weakness; overfatigue; languor, lethargy, listlessness; sluggishness, slumber, stupor, torpidity, torpor; apathy, inertia, passiveness, passivityNear Antonyms bounce, dash, drive, energy, ginger, go, liveliness, pep, punch, sap, snap, starch, verve, vigor, vim, vitality, zing, zip; might, muscle, potency, power, puissance, strength; briskness, jauntiness, spiritedness, sprightliness, vivaciousness, vivacityAntonyms refreshment, rejuvenation, rejuvenescence, revitalization

2 a falling short of one's goals the complete collapse of the invasion set off a round of finger-pointing and recrimination Synonyms failure, crash, cropper, defeat, fizzle, nonachievement, nonsuccessRelated Words futility, uselessness; ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficaciousness, inefficacy; deficiency, inadequacy, inadequateness, insufficiency; disappointment, letdown, setbackNear Antonyms victory, winAntonyms accomplishment, achievement, success

1 to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure the motel balcony collapsed under the weight of so many people Synonyms buckle, cave (in), crumple, founder, give, go, go out, implode, tumble, yield Related Words deflate, flatten, melt, melt down; break, break down, conk (out), crash, die, fail, give out, stall; burst, shatter, smash, splinter, split; crack, crumble, pop, snap Phrases give way Near Antonyms inflate, rise, swell

2 to be unsuccessful the legal case collapsed in the face of the opposition's evidence Synonyms bomb, fail, crater, flame out, flop, flunk, fold, founder, miss, strike out, tank, wash outRelated Words flounder, struggle; decline, sink, skid, slip, slump, wane; crash, crumble, miscarry, misfire; go under; implode, self-destructNear Antonyms cook, flourish, prosper, thrive; prevail, triumph, winAntonyms click, come off, deliver, go, go over, pan out, succeed, work out

3 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 capsule, capsulize, compress, compact, condense, constrict, constringe, contract, narrow (down), squeeze, telescopeRelated Words cram, crowd, jam, jam-pack, pack; abbreviate, abridge, curtail, shorten; boil down, downsize, shrink; concentrate, consolidate; simplify, streamline; decrease, diminish, lessenNear Antonyms dilate, disperse, dissipate, scatter; distend, inflate, swellAntonyms decompress, expand, open, outspread, outstretch