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
Relevance
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
Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Nov. 2025
The New York Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll on Monday after a 2-8 start to the 2025 NFL season and a string of fourth-quarter collapses that left ownership exhausted and fans demanding change.
—Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
But when the 2008 financial crisis hits, their rags-to-riches story returns to rags as their empire collapses almost overnight.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
When that collapses, competition dies.
—Gerard Scimeca, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
And so the moment collapses into anticlimax.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Announcement interrupted after attendee collapses About a half hour into the news conference, a man standing behind the president appeared to collapse when Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks began to speak, as seen on a livestream of the announcement and images taken by press.
—Staff, Twin Cities, 6 Nov. 2025
The project blends survivalist horror with psychological thriller elements, examining how far people will go to survive when society collapses.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025
As the party collapses into collective, mob-like madness, despair is unleashed along with paranoia, depravity, violence, and carnage.
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
The collapses are happening on a thin, sparsely populated stretch of coast.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Roberto Gualtieri, Rome's mayor, reportedly said workers were working very cautiously to avoid further collapses.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The memories of those late-game collapses crept in when the Sabres’ 4-2 lead became 4-3 early in the third period.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Credit has become a hot topic in the market lately due to the notable collapses of auto parts manufacturer First Brands Group and the subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2025
By contrast, the 93-69 Dodgers stumbled at times during the regular season, including several late-game collapses by a shaky bullpen and a humbling September sweep by the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
And while the collapses of Tricolor and First Brands were widely seen as idiosyncratic, Roe’s team viewed them as potential warning signs of broader strain, particularly among lower-income borrowers.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
Climate models that predict collapses are also less accurate when forecasting interactions between multiple tipping points.
—Alexandra A Phillips, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
Voids can contribute to sinkholes as the ground collapses into the underlying cavities.
—Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Nov. 2025
The New York Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll on Monday after a 2-8 start to the 2025 NFL season and a string of fourth-quarter collapses that left ownership exhausted and fans demanding change.
—Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
But when the 2008 financial crisis hits, their rags-to-riches story returns to rags as their empire collapses almost overnight.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
When that collapses, competition dies.
—Gerard Scimeca, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
And so the moment collapses into anticlimax.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Announcement interrupted after attendee collapses About a half hour into the news conference, a man standing behind the president appeared to collapse when Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks began to speak, as seen on a livestream of the announcement and images taken by press.
—Staff, Twin Cities, 6 Nov. 2025
The project blends survivalist horror with psychological thriller elements, examining how far people will go to survive when society collapses.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025
As the party collapses into collective, mob-like madness, despair is unleashed along with paranoia, depravity, violence, and carnage.
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
Migration to the southern border, perhaps the most powerful current in American politics today, is already being driven partly by ecological collapses in Central American farm economies.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
The collapses are happening on a thin, sparsely populated stretch of coast.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Roberto Gualtieri, Rome's mayor, reportedly said workers were working very cautiously to avoid further collapses.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The memories of those late-game collapses crept in when the Sabres’ 4-2 lead became 4-3 early in the third period.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Credit has become a hot topic in the market lately due to the notable collapses of auto parts manufacturer First Brands Group and the subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2025
By contrast, the 93-69 Dodgers stumbled at times during the regular season, including several late-game collapses by a shaky bullpen and a humbling September sweep by the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
And while the collapses of Tricolor and First Brands were widely seen as idiosyncratic, Roe’s team viewed them as potential warning signs of broader strain, particularly among lower-income borrowers.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
Climate models that predict collapses are also less accurate when forecasting interactions between multiple tipping points.
—Alexandra A Phillips, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapses
Verb
-
Workers are startled when a jar tumbles out of a dusty box and rolls onto the ground.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Ralphy leaps up in shock, tumbles off the sofa, and sprints toward his owner, who is filming nearby.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
If the restructuring fails to materialize by year-end, SoftBank’s total investment would drop to $20 billion.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Best Amazon Early Black Friday Luggage Deals Amazon’s lineup of hardside suitcases, carry-ons, and full luggage sets never fails to impress—and this year’s deals certainly don’t fall short.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The Cosmic Pathway compresses 13 billion years of history into a single 360-foot-long ramp.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The new system compresses that capability into a device spanning just a few square centimeters, without sacrificing power, pulse duration, or bandwidth.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Liverpool have taken positive steps forward in their past two games, winning both following a run of six defeats in seven.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The Nighthawks were 3-17 across their first two seasons in Class 3A, with the majority of their defeats coming via running clock.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
And Biltmore Estate goes above and beyond on the festive front.—
Lydia Mansel,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The first shift after all the previous staff shakeups goes surprisingly well.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Amina blows her mom a kiss and then flops down in her crib, pretending to be asleep.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
At one point, Alex comes over to recheck his map and, seeing Rizo attempt to analyze his work, flops over on the puzzle, causing Rizo to pause.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The vapor then condenses into liquid water inside a vacuum condenser.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Poetry condenses our chaotic emotions into words, giving form to formlessness.—
K.J.S. “Sunny” Anand,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Employers can create weekly forums where employees can share both AI successes and failures without judgment, then reallocate budgets away from underperforming AI experiments to pilots that are showing success.—
Feon Ang,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
-
One form Asks whether the tree appears To exhibit a history of failures.—
MaKshya Tolbert,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Collapses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapses. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
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