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
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of collapse
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2025
Their entire world collapses when Pinyols, the legal owner of the land, disregards the verbal agreement made by his grandfather that the land should belong to the Solés.
—Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 27 Mar. 2025
Roger Trapp, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions on the apparent collapse of the Black Sea ceasefire.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Verb
The quake also caused a skyscraper in Bangkok, Thailand, to collapse.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2025
Their entire world collapses when Pinyols, the legal owner of the land, disregards the verbal agreement made by his grandfather that the land should belong to the Solés.
—Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 27 Mar. 2025
Noun
Scandals such as Bernard Madoff’s huge Ponzi scheme discovered earlier this century and the collapse of the energy firm Enron a few years earlier are proof enough of that.
—Roger Trapp, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions on the apparent collapse of the Black Sea ceasefire.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for collapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapse
Verb
-
The Racing Bulls drivers tumbled outside the points.—
Luke Smith,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
-
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
-
Apple is required to make these changes, and failing to do so could lead to fines.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
19 Mar. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
It's considered lossless to the eye, but the signal is actually compressed at a 3:1 ratio.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
18 Mar. 2025
-
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
-
In that moment of grief and exhaustion, something shifted.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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Breast cancer survivor Julie Swallow, 56, initially chalked up her exhaustion to being overworked.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
People.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
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
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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
Verb
-
Ryan Foscolo went 3-for-4 with 2 runs and an RBI for Hagerty (14-2), while Stephen Chucka had a triple, double and RBI and Brandon Levy and Nathaniel Rhodes each added doubles and an RBI.—
Steve Gorches,
Orlando Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2025
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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
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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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Collapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapse. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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