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
Your skeleton has a demanding day job, pumping out fresh new blood cells and serving as a mineral bank for calcium, not to mention keeping your head up and preventing your organs from collapsing into a disappointing puddle. — New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026 The episode moves through the housing crash by following a chain of people relevant to the market collapsing. — Cooper Katz McKim, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026 The program was collapsing, the fan base was toxic and keeping Norvell would have likely ended up costing them more money in season ticket sales and booster donations than firing him and paying him off. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026 Anger at the government that put them in a half-collapsing school. — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2026 But the incident also raised questions about the on-field treatment the 30-year-old player received after collapsing on the pitch Monday, including how quickly CPR was performed and whether medics used a defibrillator. — ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026 New York City marathon runner Rachel Apa died on Sunday after collapsing at mile 24. — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026 Video sent by the boys showed their friend collapsing as shots rang out. — Suheir Hashimeh, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026 Handoff after handoff after handoff, Hubbard saw a collapsing path where there was supposed to be daylight. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 30 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
  • While offensive players are often chastised for flopping in an attempt to get free throws, every clip in the NBA’s four-minute video about flopping focused on defensive players.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • 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
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
  • Motorola is patching a hole in its US lineup with a non-folding flagship phone, but the pricing puts this device dangerously close to the company’s expensive tablet-style foldable.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 5 Nov. 2026
  • 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
Definition of folding
Verb
  • CoreWeave shares also rose more than 2% Friday morning after tumbling about 10% on Wednesday.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026
  • In the short term, investors got jittery on Wednesday, sending AI data center stocks tumbling.
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of tumbling
Verb
  • Florida was struggling under interim coach Billy Gonzales, a longtime Meyer assistant, and the Gators failed to carry any emotion into a 31-11 loss as the Vols’ ended two-decade drought in Swamp.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The outlet suggested Lively and Reynolds were putting on a brave face for the cameras but struggling behind-the-scenes.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of struggling
Verb
  • For an octopus, squeezing into tight spaces can provide an escape route and access to prey that other marine creatures cannot easily reach.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Much of the growing opposition to data centers has come from rising electricity prices, which are squeezing Americans in a time of already high prices and cost of living.
    — Shannon Osaka, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of squeezing

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collapsing
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Cite this Entry

“Collapsing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapsing. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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