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
Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
The beach patrol headquarters is in danger of collapsing and will be demolished this weekend.
—Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
The team had the best record in the major leagues as recently as June 13 of last season before collapsing and missing the postseason.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026
By 2033, the trust fund will run dry, triggering that immense, across-the-board drop that is slated to punish the most vulnerable Americans by collapsing all benefits an equal share regardless of income.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
Their book, which has already sold more than 400,000 copies around the world, arrives at a time of both bloody religious conflict and rapidly collapsing religious belief, especially among the young and the highly educated.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
Ehrlich’s use of ecological carrying capacity – the idea that any environment has a finite number of resources to support a population before collapsing – justified coercive population control initiatives as foreign and domestic environmental policies in the minds of many Americans.
—Brian C. Keegan, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Twenty years ago, critic Mark Fisher described Burial’s Untrue as a kind of sonic hauntology, a montage of fractured breakbeats, spectral vocal fragments, and crackle collapsing past and future into a single, diffuse texture.
—Keegan Brady, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
Or the chaos of a collapsing command structure creates an opportunity for a small quantity of a dangerous agent to fall in the hands of someone with motive and access.
—Ashish K. Jha, STAT, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
The team had the best record in the major leagues as recently as June 13 of last season before collapsing and missing the postseason — a collapse that still stings for fans.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
The beach patrol headquarters is in danger of collapsing and will be demolished this weekend.
—Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
The team had the best record in the major leagues as recently as June 13 of last season before collapsing and missing the postseason.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026
By 2033, the trust fund will run dry, triggering that immense, across-the-board drop that is slated to punish the most vulnerable Americans by collapsing all benefits an equal share regardless of income.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
Their book, which has already sold more than 400,000 copies around the world, arrives at a time of both bloody religious conflict and rapidly collapsing religious belief, especially among the young and the highly educated.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
Ehrlich’s use of ecological carrying capacity – the idea that any environment has a finite number of resources to support a population before collapsing – justified coercive population control initiatives as foreign and domestic environmental policies in the minds of many Americans.
—Brian C. Keegan, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Twenty years ago, critic Mark Fisher described Burial’s Untrue as a kind of sonic hauntology, a montage of fractured breakbeats, spectral vocal fragments, and crackle collapsing past and future into a single, diffuse texture.
—Keegan Brady, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
Or the chaos of a collapsing command structure creates an opportunity for a small quantity of a dangerous agent to fall in the hands of someone with motive and access.
—Ashish K. Jha, STAT, 25 Mar. 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
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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
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The Material steak knives arrived sharp, slicing through a piece of paper rather than crumpling its edge.—
Emily Johnson,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Girlfriend scales the diaristic, bric-a-brac charm of Janky Star into a high-drama pop monument to trying, flopping, and trying even harder next time.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
20 Mar. 2026
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Cutting stems back by one-third their height will help plants resist flopping under the weight of the flowers.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Beyond conversion, AcePDF offers editing tools such as merging and splitting PDFs, compressing large files, extracting images, adding annotations, and creating interactive forms.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
-
That pressure pushes down on the air underneath it, compressing and heating it.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The three units feature the same folding action and design, but certain specs vary.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Mar. 2026
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Malott’s grandfather had always kept a beat-up old oak bi-folding table behind the counter.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The conflict has sent oil prices surging and stocks tumbling on inflation and economic growth fears.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The token has been volatile since the conflict in Iran began in late February, at one point jumping to a high of nearly $76,000 before tumbling once more as tensions in the region escalated.—
Emily Nicolle,
Fortune,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the poor quarters of New Delhi, households struggling to pay for gas fired up chulhas, old-school wood-burning stoves, and hoped their tinder supplies held.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Lillibridge says the prices are piling onto an already struggling industry.—
Lana Zak,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Serve with garlic toasts and lemon wedges for squeezing over if desired.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Photos and video show the explorers squeezing through jagged crevices deep inside the karsts, using flashlights to guide them further along an otherwise pitch-black maze of rocky burrows.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Collapsing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapsing. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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