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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of collapses
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 June 2026
If the cost of producing a complex tax plan collapses toward zero, what exactly is the client paying for—and who keeps the fee?
—Carrie McCabe, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
On the table in front of her was a small burlap bag containing the rudiments of a mapmaking game called the Quiet Year, in which players use a sheet of paper, a pen, some dice, and a deck of special cards to tell the story of a community struggling to rebuild after society collapses.
—Luis A. Gómez, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
The person appears to try to reload a rifle but collapses amid more gunfire.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 22 June 2026
When wild female flies mate with the sterile males, no offspring are produced, and the population collapses over time.
—Ciara McCarthy. Produced With Ai Assistance, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 June 2026
Stars become red giants when the hydrogen in their cores is exhausted, and that core collapses.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 22 June 2026
When sudden cardiac arrest occurs, the person collapses and doesn’t respond or breathe normally.
—Martha Lopez-Anderson, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 June 2026
Love collapses, and her mother cries out several times before the body camera footage ends.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026
Noel Murray, Vulture, 19 June 2026
Because these kinds of collapses often happen with little or no warning, any orangutans had very little time to escape.
—Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 16 June 2026
Sustain the releases across a wide enough area for long enough, and the population starves itself of offspring and collapses.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 June 2026
Two of the buildings experienced roof collapses, says Andrew Brown, the village’s assistant director of economic development.
—Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
Blowing leads is becoming a recurring trend for Clark's squad, which has suffered similar collapses against the Washington Mystics and Golden State Valkyries this season.
—Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 June 2026
Is there a way the Tigers can reconfigure their roster in hopes of avoiding collapses like this season’s (and last season’s) in the future?
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 3 June 2026
The results mark one of the sharpest polling collapses of any modern president.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
The robot stops, availability collapses and trust erodes.
—John Wall, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Verb
Canvas collapses what has typically been a fragmented production chain into a single workspace.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 June 2026
If the cost of producing a complex tax plan collapses toward zero, what exactly is the client paying for—and who keeps the fee?
—Carrie McCabe, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
On the table in front of her was a small burlap bag containing the rudiments of a mapmaking game called the Quiet Year, in which players use a sheet of paper, a pen, some dice, and a deck of special cards to tell the story of a community struggling to rebuild after society collapses.
—Luis A. Gómez, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
The person appears to try to reload a rifle but collapses amid more gunfire.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 22 June 2026
When wild female flies mate with the sterile males, no offspring are produced, and the population collapses over time.
—Ciara McCarthy. Produced With Ai Assistance, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 June 2026
Stars become red giants when the hydrogen in their cores is exhausted, and that core collapses.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 22 June 2026
When sudden cardiac arrest occurs, the person collapses and doesn’t respond or breathe normally.
—Martha Lopez-Anderson, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 June 2026
Love collapses, and her mother cries out several times before the body camera footage ends.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026
Noun
Oh, and a few minutes later, Beulah suffers what looks to be a heart attack or stroke and collapses.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 19 June 2026
Because these kinds of collapses often happen with little or no warning, any orangutans had very little time to escape.
—Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 16 June 2026
Sustain the releases across a wide enough area for long enough, and the population starves itself of offspring and collapses.
—Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 June 2026
Two of the buildings experienced roof collapses, says Andrew Brown, the village’s assistant director of economic development.
—Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
Blowing leads is becoming a recurring trend for Clark's squad, which has suffered similar collapses against the Washington Mystics and Golden State Valkyries this season.
—Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 June 2026
Is there a way the Tigers can reconfigure their roster in hopes of avoiding collapses like this season’s (and last season’s) in the future?
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 3 June 2026
The results mark one of the sharpest polling collapses of any modern president.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
The robot stops, availability collapses and trust erodes.
—John Wall, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapses
Verb
-
At the same time, Dangerous Woman, one of Grande's earliest releases, tumbles down the roster.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
-
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,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Tapping into the sporting zeitgeist, the slapstick animation, sees Daffy Duck confounded when Elmer Fudd fails to turn up for duck hunting season.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
22 June 2026
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An extended car warranty can save electric vehicle (EV) owners thousands of dollars when a critical component, such as an electric motor or battery management system, fails unexpectedly.—
Emily Mercer,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
Verb
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Sitting for hours on end compresses joints and reduces circulation of synovial fluid, the body’s natural joint lubricant.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
-
The Great Flattening Of SaaS AI compresses time.—
Ankur Shah,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
At 31, Moises concludes his UFC tenure with an 8-8 record over 16 fights, having faced recent struggles with three losses in his last four outings, including consecutive defeats.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
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The United States almost certainly would have wound up fighting the sort of casualty-heavy counterinsurgency campaign that has led it to costly defeats elsewhere.—
Thomas Wright,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2026
Verb
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How deep that review goes, experts said, will largely depend on what investigators find on the ground.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
McGarry, while supportive of the county's initial steps, remains skeptical that the ordinance goes far enough to protect the most vulnerable residents.—
Joan Murray,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Joel Embiid is a great player, one of the best bigs in f—ing basketball history, flops.—
Devon Henderson,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
-
One of the best bigs in [expletive] basketball history flops.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Prioritise, which uses AI to surface your most important notifications first, and Summarise, which condenses long chat threads into a quick summary without opening the app.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
Belmont says the facility would generate enough heat to raise nighttime temperatures by eight to 12 degrees, irrevocably shifting the dew point, the temperature at which water condenses.—
Mary Jane Gibson,
Rolling Stone,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Researchers examine how teams analyze data, communicate, and make decisions during unexpected technical failures or emergency alarms.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
17 June 2026
-
Across the country, bitter winter cold snaps accelerate battery failures overnight.—
Karen Koehler,
Charlotte Observer,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Collapses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapses. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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