collapsing 1 of 2

adjective

as in failing

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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

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

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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

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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
The family’s attorney says Mayich struggled through a military-style practice with little rest or water, showing clear distress before collapsing. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026 In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Rodríguez Verona said survivors were disoriented and dehydrated, with many collapsing or vomiting upon reaching land. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 Joseph suffered the most serious injuries after being repeatedly struck in the head before collapsing to his knees. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026 MetroLoft happens to be the same company whose midtown conversion project was recently found to be collapsing. — Bridget Read, Curbed, 1 Sep. 2026 As for the seat cushion, Razer says it was designed with a uniform cell structure, which should prevent the foam from collapsing out of its supportive shape. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 30 Aug. 2026 Summary Volkswagen's unique governance, long prioritizing workers and unions over shareholders, is now unsustainable amid collapsing profits, especially from China, and fierce competition from Chinese EVs. — Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 The immediate danger eased only when the barrier drained gradually rather than collapsing all at once. — Umesh Haritashya, The Conversation, 29 Aug. 2026 Dollywood thus became our Disneyland — from the Tennessee Tornado to the Wild Eagle to the Mystery Mine with the dead canary collapsing before the big drop. — Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 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
  • Euphoric players cavorting in disbelief, long-suffering fans crumpling to their knees in tears, commentators’ voices cracking at the drama of it all.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of crumpling
Verb
  • Nurses are fainting on the wards, children are flopping onto their desks at school.
    — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The video shows the peacock, referred to by some in the neighborhood as Sugar, seemingly flopping around then collapsing.
    — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of flopping
Verb
  • Scrape into prepared pan and move around with a fork to fill pan and create some surface texture without compressing mixture.
    — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Sep. 2026
  • To gauge correctly, people can place a measuring tape around the abdomen, between the bottom of the ribs and the top of the hip bones, keeping the tape level and snug but not compressing the skin.
    — Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of compressing
Adjective
  • Motorola didn’t bother releasing new versions of its non-folding Edge phones in 2026, and if that trend continues, the 2027 devices may be foldables.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Early backers of that Kickstarter campaign faced manufacturing delays and when units arrived, the ultra-light framework’s delicate folding joints struggled on rough urban asphalt.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of folding
Verb
  • Furthermore, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index retreated significantly from the record high set in the previous session, tumbling nearly 8% overnight to mark its largest single-day loss since June 5.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Their cheap convenience and ubiquity in restaurant service is a big reason any person with a food or food-adjacent job (including just about everybody who works at this magazine) has a collection of these tumbling around in their cabinets.
    — Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of tumbling
Verb
  • Its interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former al-Qa’eda militant who led the rebel offensive that overthrew dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, has been struggling to rebuild a nation devastated by almost 14 years of civil war.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Teachers and students are struggling to parse the difference between deploying AI effectively and exploiting the technology to cheat.
    — Sian Leah Beilock, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • In the distance, a toddler in a matching Nike outfit literally leaped into the arms of a crying woman, perhaps a grandmother, squeezing tightly for a hug.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The floods will likely change that outlook, squeezing a country that’s heavily dependent on tourism while forcing a costly period of reconstruction.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeezing

Browse Nearby Words

collapses
collapsing
collar
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Cite this Entry

“Collapsing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapsing. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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