1
as in to tumble
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to fail
to be unsuccessful
the legal case collapsed in the face of the opposition's evidence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to compress
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
1
as in exhaustion
a complete depletion of energy or strength
suffered a mental collapse under the strain of studying for his bar exam
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2
as in defeat
a falling short of one's goals
the complete collapse of the invasion set off a round of finger-pointing and recrimination
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of collapse
Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
On Thursday, February 13th, Bunty and a few others from the Forest Service visited one of their most urgent projects, a section of Interstate 40 that had collapsed into the Pigeon River and remained closed to traffic.
—Peter Slevin, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2025
Albert C. Lin, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2025
After the near collapse triggered by an assault from all sides, combined with the pipeline assault, Russian forces triumphantly raised their flag over Sudzha.
—Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Verb
Previous ceasefire efforts have collapsed due to disagreements over the terms of hostage releases and Israel's demand for Hamas to disarm—something Hamas has repeatedly refused to do.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
On Thursday, February 13th, Bunty and a few others from the Forest Service visited one of their most urgent projects, a section of Interstate 40 that had collapsed into the Pigeon River and remained closed to traffic.
—Peter Slevin, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
Or a bridge collapse may necessitate prompt debris removal and reconstruction.
—Albert C. Lin, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2025
After the near collapse triggered by an assault from all sides, combined with the pipeline assault, Russian forces triumphantly raised their flag over Sudzha.
—Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapse
Verb
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The Racing Bulls drivers tumbled outside the points.—
Luke Smith,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
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Nike — Shares tumbled 5.5% after the athletic retailer warned that sales would fall in the current quarter.—
Hakyung Kim,
CNBC,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The country singer previously featured in December 2020, two months after he was dropped from an episode after failing to take Covid precautions on a night out.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2025
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Apple is required to make these changes, and failing to do so could lead to fines.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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It's considered lossless to the eye, but the signal is actually compressed at a 3:1 ratio.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
18 Mar. 2025
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The Liberal leadership race was compressed, and Carney was far ahead all along, so his opponents were not motivated to challenge him too much.—
Stephen Maher,
TIME,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Are Too Many Priorities Making Work More Stressful? Trying to solve everything at once leads to exhaustion and inaction.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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Social media fatigue has risen in recent years, studies show, as mindless scrolling leads to mental exhaustion.—
Ashton Jackson,
CNBC,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
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On the women’s side, JC Smith (7-18) opens against Livingstone — a team that swept the Golden Bulls with a pair of 13-point defeats in the regular season.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Mar. 2025
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As a result, Atlanta were able to enact revenge on The Bay who handed them their only defeat of the TGL season.—
Ben Morse,
CNN,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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If that snood suddenly shortens, your gobbler has gone from relaxed to alert, and the jig might be up.—
Alice Jones Webb,
Outdoor Life,
21 Mar. 2025
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That game was just the start of an epic back-and-forth that’s seen the coaches meet in two Final Fours — and win one apiece; go head-to-head in the NBA and Conference USA; and later share a state when Pitino led Louisville and Calipari helmed Kentucky.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Kraven the Hunter — Sony Marvel’s box office flop starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Russell Crowe — arrives on Netflix this week.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
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Gaga played Harley Quinn in the DC movie, which flopped at the box office and was panned by critics.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA TODAY,
9 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But skyrocketing home prices and stubbornly high mortgage rates in the past few years have squeezed many buyers to the sidelines of the market, raising concerns that this year will see a nationwide drop in sales even during the spring homebuying season.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
22 Mar. 2025
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This 2019 retread attempts to squeeze that same emotional response out of viewers, simply by recreating every frame through photorealistic CGI.—
Staff Author,
EW.com,
22 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Collapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapse. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
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