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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of collapsing
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 May 2026
Badham had barely escaped another collapsing production, an early version of The Wiz starring Diana Ross, when producer Robert Stigwood suddenly called him in to take over what was then still called Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night, based on Nik Cohn’s famous New York magazine article.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2026
This new study of Little Red Dots by the JWST indicates that maybe supermassive black holes were born directly without needing a massive star to live for millions of years before collapsing to birth a stellar-mass black hole.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 28 May 2026
The ruling has been criticized, however, for collapsing distinctions between hijras and transgender people.
—Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
The ecological shock rippled ashore, collapsing the region’s $44 million red abalone fishery—once the largest in the world.
—Tatjana Baleta, Time, 28 May 2026
But before any bodies of the missing can be recovered, crews on Wednesday must first stabilize the tank, which was at risk of collapsing further and leaking more of the caustic liquid.
—ABC News, 27 May 2026
Avoiding a repeating pattern of closures requires restoring the ability of salmon populations and their interconnected network of habitats to withstand droughts, heat waves and other environmental shocks without collapsing.
—Eric Palkovacs, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
Seattle’s economy, far from collapsing, continued to boom.
—Nick Hanauer, The Atlantic, 22 May 2026
Verb
The dread moving through professional offices right now is the sound of that assumption collapsing.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 May 2026
Badham had barely escaped another collapsing production, an early version of The Wiz starring Diana Ross, when producer Robert Stigwood suddenly called him in to take over what was then still called Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night, based on Nik Cohn’s famous New York magazine article.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2026
This new study of Little Red Dots by the JWST indicates that maybe supermassive black holes were born directly without needing a massive star to live for millions of years before collapsing to birth a stellar-mass black hole.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 28 May 2026
The ruling has been criticized, however, for collapsing distinctions between hijras and transgender people.
—Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
The ecological shock rippled ashore, collapsing the region’s $44 million red abalone fishery—once the largest in the world.
—Tatjana Baleta, Time, 28 May 2026
But before any bodies of the missing can be recovered, crews on Wednesday must first stabilize the tank, which was at risk of collapsing further and leaking more of the caustic liquid.
—ABC News, 27 May 2026
Avoiding a repeating pattern of closures requires restoring the ability of salmon populations and their interconnected network of habitats to withstand droughts, heat waves and other environmental shocks without collapsing.
—Eric Palkovacs, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
Seattle’s economy, far from collapsing, continued to boom.
—Nick Hanauer, The Atlantic, 22 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
-
Perhaps the poster child for the flopping phenomenon is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
-
For all the bright spots on Islands’ state champion soccer team, nothing shone brighter than its golden hairdos flopping around the pitch.—
Jack Leo,
AJC.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
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The technology can help with due diligence and integration, compressing what was once a long process into one that customers might not notice.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
In the new Hubble image, some of the gas on the outer edge of M88 can be seen compressing and piling up.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Complete your outdoor overhaul with more favorite patio furniture finds below, including a warm wooden deck box that doubles as a bench, a cocoon-like lounger that gently rocks, and a folding Adirondack chair that’s actually comfortable.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 May 2026
-
Their laundry room was filled with bright colors and ample folding space.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Verb
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The team spun them in rotors filled with dirt and rock to mimic falling down slopes and tumbling through sediment-laden floods.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
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Protect Other Bathroom Items In small bathrooms, your entire makeup stash might be an inch away from tumbling into the toilet.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
After more than five innings of the Bulldogs trailing Liberty by one, struggling to get anything going, the Georgia third baseman crushed a two-run home run to left field.—
Sarah Spencer,
AJC.com,
1 June 2026
-
Hezbollah's use of hard-to-detect fiber optic drones has been deadly for the Israeli military, which is struggling to respond.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Carting around unhappy campers in 100-degree weather and squeezing work into a shorter window is not exactly being poolside with a marg.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
4 June 2026
-
The defense is disciplined, squeezing pressure from its trio of wings.—
Esfandiar Baraheni,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Collapsing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapsing. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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