Synonyms of collapses

collapses 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of collapse

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

• tumbles
• goes
• crumples
• dies
• melts
• crumbles
• shatters
• gives
• implodes
• yields
• buckles
• crashes
• goes out
• fails
• breaks
• gives way
• founders
• flattens
• bursts
• pops
• smashes
• snaps
• cracks
• splits
• caves (in)
• deflates
• stalls
• breaks down
• melts down
• gives out
• splinters
• conks (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rises
• swells
• inflates

2

as in fails

to be unsuccessful

the legal case collapsed in the face of the opposition's evidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fails
• flops
• folds
• misses
• struggles
• bombs
• flunks
• tanks
• falls short
• strikes out
• falls flat
• declines
• comes to grief
• flames out
• lays an egg
• comes up empty
• crashes
• founders
• craters
• crumbles
• comes a cropper
• washes out
• slumps
• dies on the vine
• slips
• flounders
• falls on one's face
• wanes
• implodes
• skids
• miscarries
• sinks
• misfires
• goes under
• self-destructs

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• goes
• succeeds
• delivers
• works out
• comes off
• clicks
• goes over
• thrives
• flourishes
• prevails
• cooks
• wins
• pans out
• prospers
• triumphs

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

• compresses
• condenses
• squeezes
• consolidates
• constricts
• packs
• narrows (down)
• crams
• simplifies
• compacts
• contracts
• capsules
• constringes
• telescopes
• capsulizes
• shortens
• shrinks
• decreases
• curtails
• downsizes
• abbreviates
• jams
• boils down
• abridges
• diminishes
• jam-packs
• crowds
• streamlines
• concentrates
• lessens

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• expands
• opens
• decompresses
• dissipates
• disperses
• dilates
• scatters
• outstretches
• inflates
• swells
• outspreads
• distends

collapses

2 of 2

noun

plural of collapse

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

• defeats
• failures
• crashes
• fizzles
• setbacks
• croppers
• nonsuccesses
• nonachievements
• futilities
• deficiencies
• disappointments
• inadequacies
• insufficiencies
• ineffectualities
• inefficacies
• letdowns

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• achievements
• successes
• accomplishments
• victories
• wins

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of collapses

Verb

According to our models, when a massive, Population III star reaches the end of its life, its core collapses into a black hole, but the resulting supernova explosion isn’t energetic enough to blow the entire star apart. —Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026

These make tunneling more efficient and safer, by maintaining constant pressure in the area surrounding the subway tunnel, making collapses virtually impossible, Metro reported. —Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 7 May 2026

If the industry collapses, no individual company’s superiority matters. —Big Think, 7 May 2026

Disrupt that window through late nights, alcohol, a warm bedroom or fragmented sleep, and the surge collapses. —Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 6 May 2026

As the video demonstrates, von Ensingen’s drawing (not in the show, alas) collapses all the levels, complete with stairs, setbacks, vaults, and columns, onto a single plane. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Apr. 2026

For Tottenham, what once felt unthinkable is fast becoming one of the most remarkable collapses the 34-year Premier League era has seen. —Dean Jones, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026

But measurement collapses this superposition, yielding one definitive outcome. —Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 21 Apr. 2026

Reasonableness, like tolerance, is best seen as a convention of restraint, sustained because everyone remembers, however vaguely, what happens when the treaty collapses. —Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026

Noun

Word of Olena’s infirmary spread throughout Mariupol’s central district, and locals caught in shellings and crossfire and building collapses came to seek her out. —James Verini, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026

Smith then humorously highlighted how Skip Bayless has crashed out over the years due to Cowboys’ playoff collapses and other failings by throwing jerseys and other merchandise away. —Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026

Setbacks turned into collapses. —Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 8 May 2026

Without that information, officials may overestimate fish population size, which could lead to unexpected population collapses and new fishery regulations and closures. —Matthew Robertson, The Conversation, 6 May 2026

The latest on the investigation The Belleville Fire Department said the fire spread to other buildings and added there were several collapses within those buildings. —Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 4 May 2026

As the sun's core collapses, its outer layers, where nuclear fusion is still occurring, will puff out to around 100 times the original width of the sun — maybe more. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 23 Apr. 2026

Marin stuck to her plan of staying close until a moment that changed everything with shocking swiftness — her changing her mind and going for the green on the par-5 13th for a go-ahead birdie, and Talley adding to the sad history of collapses on the back nine at the home of the Masters. —ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026

Making that declaration is risky, given the history of collapses by professional teams in this city. —Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 3 Apr. 2026