as in failing
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Dissimilar Words
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
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Recent Examples of collapsing
Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Cuba’s economy, which has been in a steep decline for several years, has hit rock bottom, and the population has been enduring shortages, blackouts and the effects of collapsing infrastructure.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Officials said some deaths were caused by falling trees, collapsing structures and lightning.
—Biswajeet Banerjee, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
With inflation re-accelerating, oil still elevated, rate-cut expectations collapsing, the risk of a sharp pullback over the next month has risen.
—Tony Zhang, CNBC, 13 May 2026
And, analysts told TIME, the regime appears willing to fight to the end, even as millions of Iranians face a collapsing economy and thousands were killed in the war.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 May 2026
One by one the great trees are killed, the suburban greenness collapsing.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
It was abandoned in 1961 and nature took its course, with brambles spreading and structures collapsing.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 7 May 2026
The problem is those roofs cannot go too low without the roof potentially collapsing, creating fire and explosion risks.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Verb
There have been 22 reports of the stools collapsing, with six injuries, including bruising and scrapes.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Cuba’s economy, which has been in a steep decline for several years, has hit rock bottom, and the population has been enduring shortages, blackouts and the effects of collapsing infrastructure.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Officials said some deaths were caused by falling trees, collapsing structures and lightning.
—Biswajeet Banerjee, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
With inflation re-accelerating, oil still elevated, rate-cut expectations collapsing, the risk of a sharp pullback over the next month has risen.
—Tony Zhang, CNBC, 13 May 2026
And, analysts told TIME, the regime appears willing to fight to the end, even as millions of Iranians face a collapsing economy and thousands were killed in the war.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 May 2026
One by one the great trees are killed, the suburban greenness collapsing.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
It was abandoned in 1961 and nature took its course, with brambles spreading and structures collapsing.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 7 May 2026
The problem is those roofs cannot go too low without the roof potentially collapsing, creating fire and explosion risks.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapsing
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
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
Verb
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Trimming by half will keep the foliage from completely flopping over and retaining too much moisture around the crown.—
Marie Iannotti,
The Spruce,
9 May 2026
-
Much of the discussion following the game is about flopping and supposed favorable whistles for the Thunder.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Some of our favorite compression packing cubes on the market, these Bagsmart cubes free up to 60 percent extra packing space in your luggage by compressing the excess air out of your clothes.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
13 May 2026
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Imagine taking a huge cloud of gas, and compressing much of that material down into just a few clumps that were much smaller in physical size.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Most folding bookshelves are made from lightweight materials such as wood, bamboo or metal.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The three units feature the same folding action and design, but certain specs vary.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The resulting brawl saw the alligator rapidly tumbling at the officers like a log rolling down hill.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
12 May 2026
-
Even then, Toyota never had the outright pace of BMW, with the #8 Toyota eventually tumbling out of the top 10 after two stops on consecutive laps.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
At the time, the group had around two dozen employees and was struggling for financial stability.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
The key will be to continue building off the encouraging start, especially after struggling with his command in Colorado last week.—
Jesús Cano,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
While progressive Democrats are pushing to tax billionaires and close corporate loopholes, Republicans are warning that squeezing job creators will severely damage Illinois’ economy.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
-
Higher fuel costs are leading to inflation and squeezing household budgets, while industries from manufacturing to transport are facing rising operating costs and supply disruptions.—
Julhas Alam,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Collapsing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapsing. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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