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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
Portland took an early lead, but the Pride showed fight and kept it close before collapsing in the last 20 minutes. — Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026 This halts the nuclear fusion process — which involves converting that hydrogen to helium — leading to the stars collapsing and shedding their outer layers to become a white dwarf with around the mass of the sun crammed into the width of Earth. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026 The inquiry into baby deaths found the Countess of Chester Hospital, in northwestern England, could have saved some infants if staff had acted sooner when children began collapsing, Justice Kathryn Thirlwall said. — Brian Melley, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026 Beaches have disappeared and riverbanks are collapsing into the water. — Sebastián López Brach, The Dial, 15 Sep. 2026 In 2021, as Afghanistan's government was collapsing, Lee worked to help evacuate thousands during a chaotic withdrawal as a member of the nonprofit group Save Our Allies. — Robert McGreevy , Jennifer Griffin, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026 The inquiry into baby deaths found the Countess of Chester Hospital, in northwestern England, could have saved some infants from death and injury if staff had acted sooner when children began collapsing, Justice Kathryn Thirlwall said. — CBS News, 15 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
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
  • The fish looks straight at me, flopping sluggishly from side to side.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Nobody likes to see their sunflowers flopping over—and according to Nancy Awot-Traut, a horticulture specialist at Burpee, there can be several reasons why this happens.
    — Lauren Wellbank, Martha Stewart, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of flopping
Verb
  • The result is an entire ocean’s worth of wind and waves all compressing together to get through what is a seriously small bottleneck.
    — KC Baker, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The space between those points is the organization’s window for intervention, and AI is compressing it across a growing share of business processes.
    — Jay Limburn, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 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
  • But many homeowners locked in low mortgage rates when COVID-19 slammed the economy and sent borrowing costs tumbling; so they are protected if mortgage rates rise in the wake of a Fed raTte hike.
    — Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • By the end of the 1978-79 season, Charlie’s Angels had dropped out of the top 10, tumbling from fourth to 12th.
    — Michael Callahan, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of tumbling
Verb
  • The play becomes an intellectual exercise — often a technically compelling one, and one that thankfully observes the comedy of Chekhov’s struggling souls as much as their tragedy.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • But Trumpism is also what Gramsci called a morbid symptom of the interregnum, an expression of a country riven by political polarization and by economic inequity, and struggling to come to terms with the waning of its singular status.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • Instead of squeezing time together into a large family gathering, Marilyn and a small group of relatives are staying in London through Tuesday.
    — Taylor Eldridge, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The clinic adds that squeezing the lower legs helps veins return blood to the heart, and the therapy can be used on its own or alongside other treatments a healthcare provider recommends.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 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 21 Sep. 2026.

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