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
Musk did not understand that in India, as in much of the world, trust in America is collapsing. — Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026 Pushing the ball in transition, George made contact with Detroit guard Duncan Robinson before dramatically collapsing to the floor in an Oscar-worthy attempt to bait a whistle. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Penguins forward Ben Kindel has been discharged from a Utah hospital and returned to Pittsburgh after collapsing on the team plane earlier this week. — Mike Darnay, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 Dubas said to his knowledge that Kindel had no previous history of collapsing. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 And for a quarterback whose superpower involves shuffling through collapsing pockets, scrambling through squalor, throwing off any and every platform — such a question was warranted. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026 Video of the 143-year-old building in flames, its bell tower collapsing, spread widely online over the weekend. — Tom Nouvian, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 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 Inflation that hot is the hallmark of a tight labor market and strong demand, not a collapsing one. — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 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
  • Because the flopping infraction carries no suspension, George remains fully cleared to suit up Friday when Boston hosts his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 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
  • Laser fusion follows another route, compressing and heating a tiny fuel pellet so reactions occur before the fuel disperses.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Glaciers could re-form if carbon pollution declines substantially and temperatures drop enough to enable snowfall to build year-round, eventually compressing again into glacial ice, but that may take several hundred years, Menounos added.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of compressing
Adjective
  • Similar to the Huawei Pura X View that launched in China in August, the new Coolpad Cool X Wide has a much wider screen than what’s typically seen in non-folding phones.
    — Andrew Liszewski, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of folding
Verb
  • Last year, Google DeepMind sent gaming stocks tumbling with the reveal of its Genie 3 world model.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Also on Thursday, the 10-year Treasury yield slammed on the brakes and went into reverse, falling below 5% and tumbling in the largest single-day decline since March 10, 2023 — the day that Silicon Valley Bank imploded.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of tumbling
Verb
  • Tage Thompson had three goals and two assists, Zach Benson added a goal and two assists, and the Buffalo Sabres scored six consecutive goals during a 7-6 victory over the struggling Ducks on Thursday night.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Even today, with United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin struggling to bring their large Vulcan and New Glenn rockets into service, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets have become a single-point failure for national security launches.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • The remarks followed the release of strong quarterly results, with revenue and earnings beating analysts’ expectations despite a 6% downturn in revenue due to pressure squeezing all broadband purveyors.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Fuel expenses are squeezing daily household budgets and tightening cash flow toward the end of the month, with reports indicating a growing number of French employees are requesting payroll advances to manage month end expenses.
    — , CNBC, 19 Oct. 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 2 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of satiate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All