1
as in tumbles
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fails
to be unsuccessful
the legal case collapsed in the face of the opposition's evidence
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in compresses
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
as in defeats
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 collapses
Eric Markowitz, Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
And after the Republic collapses, the empire continues to exist for another 500 years.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2025
Without virtue, liberty collapses into chaos, and freedom devours itself.
—Carolyn McKinney, Boston Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
At the heart of the film are the town’s last remaining residents, holding on to a sense of home even as the ground beneath them collapses.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2025
Ambition built only on external validation eventually collapses.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
In a world where AI collapses the cost of knowledge, the scarce resource is the ability to execute—to make the same promise and keep it again and again.
—George Pesansky, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
Just moments later, the robot slips on a carpet and collapses to the ground, only to spring back upright in less than a second.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2025
Her collectedness collapses as Johnson turns the joke into a physical act-out, becoming almost insulted that this earthquake dared to frighten her.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Christian Romo, Freep.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Moreover, the track record of predicting market downturns or financial collapses is pretty dismal.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 21 Sep. 2025
The film shows what happens when an entire mountain collapses into a fjord, triggering a tsunami that promises to ravage the quiet coastal town of Geiranger in ten minutes.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Without governance built into design and development considerations, what appeared to have potential in isolation collapses when (and if) it is scaled under the weight of enterprise reality.
—Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Whoopi Goldberg conducted one of her famous collapses live on The View.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2025
In search of scientific ways to make sense of a world in constant flux, people called on catastrophe theory to describe everything from bridge collapses to prison riots to regime changes.
—Gregory Barber, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Every episode of Destruction Decoded delves deep into a type of historical disaster, such as train crashes, bridge collapses, or perilous expeditions.
—PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
And so, with these four short works, the divide between the fantastical and the real, the inside and the outside collapses, laying bare this colossal network connecting us all.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
Multiply that across millions of users and intellectual diversity collapses.
—Eric Markowitz, Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
And after the Republic collapses, the empire continues to exist for another 500 years.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 22 Sep. 2025
Without virtue, liberty collapses into chaos, and freedom devours itself.
—Carolyn McKinney, Boston Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
At the heart of the film are the town’s last remaining residents, holding on to a sense of home even as the ground beneath them collapses.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2025
Ambition built only on external validation eventually collapses.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
In a world where AI collapses the cost of knowledge, the scarce resource is the ability to execute—to make the same promise and keep it again and again.
—George Pesansky, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
Just moments later, the robot slips on a carpet and collapses to the ground, only to spring back upright in less than a second.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2025
Her collectedness collapses as Johnson turns the joke into a physical act-out, becoming almost insulted that this earthquake dared to frighten her.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
The Detroit Tigers have six games to avoid what could be one of the biggest collapses in franchise history.
—Christian Romo, Freep.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Moreover, the track record of predicting market downturns or financial collapses is pretty dismal.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 21 Sep. 2025
The film shows what happens when an entire mountain collapses into a fjord, triggering a tsunami that promises to ravage the quiet coastal town of Geiranger in ten minutes.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Without governance built into design and development considerations, what appeared to have potential in isolation collapses when (and if) it is scaled under the weight of enterprise reality.
—Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Whoopi Goldberg conducted one of her famous collapses live on The View.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2025
In search of scientific ways to make sense of a world in constant flux, people called on catastrophe theory to describe everything from bridge collapses to prison riots to regime changes.
—Gregory Barber, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Every episode of Destruction Decoded delves deep into a type of historical disaster, such as train crashes, bridge collapses, or perilous expeditions.
—PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
And so, with these four short works, the divide between the fantastical and the real, the inside and the outside collapses, laying bare this colossal network connecting us all.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapses
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Múlafossur Waterfall tumbles into the Atlantic below—its roar softened by Northern Fulmars wheeling overhead.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
At only 20 feet high, Abrams Falls’ stature isn’t its most impressive quality; however, the sheer force of water that tumbles down it is an experience to enjoy with several senses—certainly sight, but also sound and feel too.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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When crop acreage fails to turn a profit year after year, farmers may be incentivized to sell the land.—
Connor Giffin,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Sep. 2025
-
On his lot, Rogen’s bumbling exec Matt Remick typically fails to compromise, as a creature of and a victim to the system he’s been charged with minding.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Today's market compresses product life cycles down to quarters rather than years.—
Matthew Ross,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
-
In Pina and Martínez Lobato’s typical fleet fashion, the show compresses into its first six minutes the many extraordinary events of 22-year-old Max Varela’s (Pau Simón) life.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Thursday’s loss passed the Rockies by the 1935 Boston Braves on the modern NL ineptitude list, as those Braves that featured Babe Ruth in his final season finished with 115 defeats.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The legal defeats have not stopped Robinson from continuing to pose as a film producer.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The camera goes hurtling after the characters, none of whom move the same way.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
-
To ensure compliance with these rules, the DMV collects a $3 fee from all drivers who enroll in these courses — money which goes toward routine monitoring of traffic schools.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Cooler and longer Fall nights allow the earth to cool to its dew point, which is when water condenses into droplets.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The water evaporates when near heat sources, then condenses back into a liquid when the heat dissipates into the phone’s surrounding aluminum body.—
Gwendolyn Rak,
IEEE Spectrum,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Because of those failures of the grid, people are taking more control of themselves [to ensure] clean and reliable generation.—
Lauren Giella,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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While not foolproof – replication failures can occur due to human error, inaccurate details of study design and many other variables that may be difficult to control for – results that remain unproven are a huge red flag.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Gym Monster 2’s mat is a large black slab that folds down to the floor, with rubber feet on the bottom and a gray foam rubber pad on the top.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Target is currently offering a slew of early deals on travel must-haves, including the Lands' End Wanderweight Ultralight Packable Down Jacket, which easily folds into itself for convenient transport.—
Destinee Scott,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Collapses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapses. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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