as in failing
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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
Kate Andrews, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2026
The couple saw major flood damage during the same set of storms, with a wall collapsing and the house later condemned by the city.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2026
Combined with January’s stronger-than-expected gain, the report left the labor market looking soft, still, but not collapsing.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
When Qualls saw the building again on a cool day last month, the renovation was a night-and-day transformation from the decaying structure that had sat vacant for several decades, its roof near collapsing.
—Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Redway recalled the story as contagious, an example that reverberated through a world of collapsing states.
—Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Funding mechanisms are collapsing.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 10 Feb. 2026
Throughout the airborne maneuver, the robot remains controlled, absorbing impact on landing rather than collapsing, reports Techeblog.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026
Promising Young Woman, her directorial debut, got off to an electric start before eventually collapsing under the weight of its own attempts to delve into rage at a world that normalizes and trivializes rape.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
Nothing says happy Valentine’s Day like a collapsing birth rate.
—Kate Andrews, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2026
The couple saw major flood damage during the same set of storms, with a wall collapsing and the house later condemned by the city.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2026
Combined with January’s stronger-than-expected gain, the report left the labor market looking soft, still, but not collapsing.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
When Qualls saw the building again on a cool day last month, the renovation was a night-and-day transformation from the decaying structure that had sat vacant for several decades, its roof near collapsing.
—Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Redway recalled the story as contagious, an example that reverberated through a world of collapsing states.
—Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Funding mechanisms are collapsing.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 10 Feb. 2026
Throughout the airborne maneuver, the robot remains controlled, absorbing impact on landing rather than collapsing, reports Techeblog.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026
Promising Young Woman, her directorial debut, got off to an electric start before eventually collapsing under the weight of its own attempts to delve into rage at a world that normalizes and trivializes rape.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapsing
Verb
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The sixth inning also featured a frightening moment when Cleveland’s David Fry, squaring around to bunt, took a 99 mph fastball from Skubal off his face, crumpling to the dirt as Skubal reacted with distress.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Singh’s truck blocked both lanes of the northbound Turnpike, leading the Chrysler Town & Country minivan the three friends were riding in to slam into the semi’s 18-wheeler trailer, crumpling underneath it.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The incident came to light after two DEA whistleblowers accused the agency of failing to address the allegations involving corruption in its Haiti operations.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2026
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As a result, the plaintiffs argued, the administration also violated the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 by failing to consider the harmful environmental impacts of the project.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Instead of compressing observations into still images, RIMS preserves time-dependent information and separates radio signals by direction.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
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Such tests could be used in research toward compressing a core of uranium with explosives — something that is needed for an implosion-style nuclear weapon.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The spatial geomagnetic sensing is achieved with a folding, extendable robotic arm that carries the Hidonix Acquisition Module, which includes the HEC (Hidonix Embedded Computer from Nvidia) that runs proprietary firmware designed for precise geomagnetic signal acquisition.—
Sabbir Rangwala,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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The first few generations of those devices had subpar cameras compared to standard, non-folding phones and a visible crease running down the middle, among other shortcomings.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mac Forehand sees his ski slip from a rail on his run, sending him tumbling.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
10 Feb. 2026
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At this point in his presidency four years ago, Democrat Joe Biden’s job rating was tumbling.—
Craig Gilbert,
jsonline.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Waterfield's extra point was deflected, flopping low toward the uprights.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
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By a standard box-office calculus, such a low- to mid-seven-figure debut for a nonfiction film with $75 million in negative costs means Melania has little to no chance of avoiding flopping theatrically.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The solar sector has been grappling with a prolonged price slump and oversupply, squeezing margins even as leading producers continue to add capacity.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
4 Feb. 2026
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For generations, Americans who wanted orange juice without the work of squeezing fresh fruit cracked open a can and watched a cylinder of frozen juice go ker-plunk into a pitcher.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Michael Hicks weighs in on how a copy‑paste bill has lawmakers going after degrees Indiana doesn’t even offer in his latest op-ed.—
Kurtcia Collazo,
IndyStar,
9 Feb. 2026
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At one point, NBC’s color commentator Cris Collinsworth openly wondered how many yards Walker had picked up after going backward.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Collapsing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapsing. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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