1
as in to tumble
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 to fail
to be unsuccessful
the legal case collapsed in the face of the opposition's evidence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to compress
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
1
as in exhaustion
a complete depletion of energy or strength
suffered a mental collapse under the strain of studying for his bar exam
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2
as in defeat
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 collapse
ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2025
Some supernovae are from high-mass stars that explode when their core collapses at the end of their life, while others are from already dead white dwarfs that accumulate enough matter on their surface to cause a catastrophic star-wide thermonuclear explosion.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2025
Toria Sheffield, People.com, 20 Apr. 2025
One of them is the across-the-board collapse of Americans’ relationships with institutions.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Verb
Transmitted by bites, scratches, or even just by getting a drop of infected blood in one's mouth, the virus spreads rapidly, effectively collapsing society.
—ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2025
Some supernovae are from high-mass stars that explode when their core collapses at the end of their life, while others are from already dead white dwarfs that accumulate enough matter on their surface to cause a catastrophic star-wide thermonuclear explosion.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
The Independent reported that 22 people were in the building at the time of the collapse, which occurred at around 3 a.m. local time on Saturday, April 19.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 20 Apr. 2025
One of them is the across-the-board collapse of Americans’ relationships with institutions.
—Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapse
Verb
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Spotify shares tumbled after its Q1 numbers and 2025 forecasts with the stock down a hefty 9% mid-morning.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2025
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That energy focus has been weighing on GGN, since oil has been tumbling with stocks as of late.—
Michael Foster,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Dix’s conclusion is easily seen in the lives of famous entrepreneurs who failed at various times in their lives.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
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Andrews failed to secure a short pass from Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on a two-point conversion attempt late in the fourth quarter.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Streaming services compress the audio more vigorously than is common in physical media, which can cause problems with intelligibility.—
Samuel Axon,
ArsTechnica,
25 Apr. 2025
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Treatment for groin strains includes rest, icing, compressing the affected area, and taking pain medications.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Overtraining can lead to mental exhaustion and burnout.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
-
The specific exhaustion of being a mother By Olga Khazan Subscribe to Listen1.0x 0:009:47 Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (Noa) using AI narration.—
Olga Khazan,
The Atlantic,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In the Dodgers’ eventual 7-6 defeat, what ensued became a game-deciding sequence of a very different kind for Ohtani.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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The striker, who has struggled to make an impact recently and was substituted at half-time in that defeat by City, produced an incredible finish to chip the Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya and make it 2-2 with seven minutes to go.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And then, all of the sudden, the girlfriend’s gone.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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Louisiana Louisiana’s law went into effect Jan. 1 requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, but the state hasn't issued guidance on what documentation residents need.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The crop can be harvested at anytime but most leave the bulbs in the ground until the tops decline and flop over.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 Apr. 2025
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The Bali project seems to have flopped, reportedly leaving local construction workers in the lurch.—
Kyle Khan-Mullins,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Mike Pavlik, whose family lived across the alley behind ours and who was the leadoff batter on our softball team, squeezed my arm.—
David McGrath,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2025
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Consumer confidence has taken a nosedive in 2025 as Americans grow more concerned that inflation could spike again, and tariffs will squeeze their wallets.—
Austin Denean,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Collapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapse. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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