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
His message delivery is no more successful than Todd’s, and now the entire conference is in danger of collapsing. — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026 The wounded man fled across the parking lot before collapsing near Seminary Drive, where responding officers attempted lifesaving measures. — Giles Hudson, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 Inflation that hot is the hallmark of a tight labor market and strong demand, not a collapsing one. — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, Young has dealt with addiction and mental health issues, which contributed to her stepping away from music to recover and come back stronger after collapsing on stage at All Things Go in 2025. — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026 Byrne cited incidents involving horses collapsing in city streets and colliding with vehicles, and said more than 70% of New Yorkers support a ban, a figure Fox News Digital has not independently verified. — Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026 With the Bears trailing the Steelers 17-14 in the fourth quarter, Ditka caught a short pass and broke eight tackles before collapsing to the turf after a 63-yard gain that set up the tying field goal. — Ira Kaufman, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026 Merging with a magnetar All neutron stars are created the same way from the collapsing core of a massive star, but not all neutron stars are equal. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026 The Grey’s Anatomy alum’s wife, Jenisa Garland, died in May 2025, after collapsing suddenly. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Oct. 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 World Bank, International Monetary Fund and International Criminal Court, which all got failing grades in last year's survey, saw the biggest gains.
    — Andrea Shalal, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026
  • 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
  • But Mulderrig’s red Harley-Davidson Sportster slammed into the rear passenger side of Oates’ Cadillac, crumpling the back corner and twisting the wheel out of shape.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of crumpling
Verb
  • The reason this call matters is due to an emphasis by officials on flopping heading into the 2026-27 season.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The tall foliage of bearded iris (Iris germanica) begins flopping early in the growing season.
    — Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of flopping
Verb
  • The rapid earnings growth also has the effect of compressing multiples.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Neither fixes a demand-capture channel when demand capture itself is what’s compressing.
    — Gaetano Romeo, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of compressing
Adjective
  • Apple already offers this feature on non-folding iPhones, but those devices must be plugged in and propped up on their side.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
  • During the event, Ternus also introduced the latest version of the company’s non-folding smartphone, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which start at $1,199 and $1,299 respectively.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of folding
Verb
  • Cybersecurity names including portfolio holdings CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks are also tumbling.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
  • After the rain moves out, a strong cold front will send temperatures tumbling for the weekend.
    — Matthew Villafane, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of tumbling
Verb
  • But while most young people are struggling to land their first opportunity, some have jumped the line by building their own small businesses and startups—and young founders are now ramping up hiring even as companies across industries slow theirs.
    — Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The film includes flashbacks to his time in the war and features a parallel story about his young carer struggling to make ends meet.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • Democrats have hammered on meat as well, but mainly just as one of the staples that cost more under Trump, squeezing voters’ pocketbooks.
    — Nicholas Riccardi, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Democrats have hammered on meat as well, but mainly just as one of the staples that cost more under Trump, squeezing voters' pocketbooks.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 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 19 Oct. 2026.

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