collapsing 1 of 2

adjective

as in failing

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

collapsing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of collapse
1
as in crumpling
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in flopping
to be unsuccessful the legal case collapsed in the face of the opposition's evidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in compressing
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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of collapsing
Verb
In the seventh minute, Sonnett sprinted to challenge Pietra Tordin for the ball and seemed to make little contact before collapsing to the turf. — Asli Pelit, New York Times, 25 July 2026 However, the industry recently faced a significant shakeout, with many firms collapsing amid platform crackdowns. — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Processes that once depended on layers of coordination begin collapsing into faster, more autonomous systems. — Nigel Vaz, Time, 20 July 2026 The most recent fatality was on July 11, when a 64-year-old Greek hiker died after collapsing on a trail. — ABC News, 18 July 2026 Engineering assessments deemed the century-old structure unsalvageable, Kennedy has said, citing a collapsing roof and significant structural failure. — Charlotte Observer, 17 July 2026 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a picture on X late Thursday showing the tower collapsing as plumes of smoke rose around it. — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 17 July 2026 The results have shown — from 5-7 and missing a bowl game in 2022 to 7-6 in 2023 to 10-3 in 2024 but collapsing at the end to 13-3 and a run to the national championship last season. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026 Latinos are also, on average, much younger than the general population, as a result of collapsing birth rates among white Americans. — Jack Herrera, New Yorker, 14 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapsing
  1. failing
  2. crumpling
  3. flopping
  4. compressing
  5. folding
  6. tumbling
  7. struggling
  8. squeezing
Adjective
  • The state graded the campus an F for three consecutive years, meaning two more failing grades could trigger an intervention.
    — Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Jan. 2026
Definition of failing
Verb
  • Moses Moody scored 23 points before crumpling to the floor with an apparently serious left knee injury late in overtime as the Golden State Warriors beat Dallas 137-131 on Monday night, extending the Mavericks' home losing streak to 12 games, their longest in 32 years.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Late on, with the game already won, James Garner and substitute Merlin Rohl chased Enzo Fernandez, sending him crumpling to the turf.
    — Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
Definition of crumpling
Verb
  • Staking helps protect tall or large-flowered dahlias from breakage and flopping over, especially after rain or strong wind.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 July 2026
  • LeBron James has spent decades getting calls with his Hall of Fame flopping.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of flopping
Verb
  • Coordinated inquiry across pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and asset managers was especially important in compressing the learning curve.
    — Martin Whittaker, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • When force is applied, the pillar tilts toward the point of contact, compressing the corresponding chamber and pushing fluid through soft tubes to actuators.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026
Definition of compressing
Adjective
  • The modern folding-knife market has no shortage of compact tools designed to disappear into a pocket.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 July 2026
  • These are challenges that supposedly don't hit a flat, non-folding display anywhere near as hard.
    — Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of folding
Verb
  • The pickup appeared to veer off the roadway before tumbling down the mountainside and eventually coming to rest at the bottom of the cliff, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2026
  • Something, oh, like a roly-poly, 73-year-old manager tumbling ass over teakettle, as the old-timers say, when a bat thrown by Vladimir Guerrero clipped his left hip.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 13 July 2026
Definition of tumbling
Verb
  • Americans who are already struggling to pay their bills are about to face more financial headwinds as new tariffs take effect and the ongoing Iran war pushes gas prices up.
    — Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 25 July 2026
  • The bear was panting and struggling with the placement of its paws and legs on the pole — which was carrying 7,200-volt wires at 22 feet high.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • McGurk argued that, if the return of the hostages was the only way to end the war, then publicly squeezing Israel to protect civilians could paradoxically prolong the fighting, resulting in more Palestinian deaths.
    — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • De la Fuente’s forwards press aggressively, while centre-backs Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte hold a high defensive line, squeezing the pitch and pinning their opponents back.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of squeezing

Browse Nearby Words

collapses
collapsing
collar
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Collapsing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapsing. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on collapsing

Nglish: Translation of collapsing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of aerie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All