collapse
Americanverb (used without object)
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collapses,
present (3rd person singular)
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collapsed,
past participle, past
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collapsing
present participle
-
to fall or cave in; crumble suddenly.
The roof collapsed and buried the crowd.
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to be made so that sections or parts can be folded up, as for convenient storage.
This bridge table collapses.
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to break down; come to nothing; fail.
Despite all their efforts the peace talks collapsed.
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to fall unconscious or as if unconscious or physically depleted, as from a stroke, heart attack, disease, or exhaustion.
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Pathology.
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to sink into extreme weakness.
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(of lungs) to come into an airless state.
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verb (used with object)
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collapses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
collapsed,
past participle, past
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collapsing
present participle
noun
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collapses
plural
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a falling in or together.
Three miners were trapped by the collapse of the tunnel roof.
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a sudden, complete failure; breakdown.
The bribery scandal brought about the complete collapse of his industrial empire.
verb
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(intr) to fall down or cave in suddenly
the whole building collapsed
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(intr) to fail completely
his story collapsed on investigation
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(intr) to break down or fall down from lack of strength
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to fold (furniture, etc) compactly or (of furniture, etc) to be designed to fold compactly
noun
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the act or instance of suddenly falling down, caving in, or crumbling
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a sudden failure or breakdown
Usage
What does collapse mean? Collapse means to break apart suddenly, as in The rickety bridge collapsed into the river. If something collapses, it falls apart or caves in quickly and suddenly. Usually, something collapses because it’s unable to support its own weight. Collapse can also be used figuratively to mean to fail or break down, as in The party quickly collapsed when two groups started fighting with each other. Collapse can also mean to fall unconscious or to pass out, as in The marathon runner collapsed due to heat stroke. Collapse can also be used as a noun in any of these senses, as in She determined that the coins dated back to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Example: I had to rebuild my house of cards after the wobbly table caused it to collapse.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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collapsesimple
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collapsessimple
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have collapsedperfect
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has collapsedperfect
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am collapsingprogressive
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are collapsingprogressive
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is collapsingprogressive
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have been collapsingperfect progressive
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has been collapsingperfect progressive
Past
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collapsedsimple
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had collapsedperfect
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was collapsingprogressive
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were collapsingprogressive
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had been collapsingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of collapse
First recorded in 1725–35; from Latin collāpsus “fallen together,” past participle of collābī “to fall down, fall together, fall into ruins,” from col- col- 1 + lābī “to fall, slide, make a mistake”
Explanation
To collapse means to fall over, cave in, or totally crumple. After finding out that the stock market has collapsed and your investments along with it, you'd probably collapse to the ground and sob uncontrollably. From the Latin collapsus, meaning “fall together," comes our English collapse, a word that functions as both noun and verb. Empires collapse after revolutions, and your dog will eventually collapse from exhaustion if he keeps chasing his tail in circles. But if a company falls apart after the boss retires, or you have a total breakdown cramming for exams, that's a kind of collapse, too.
Vocabulary lists containing collapse
The Great Depression and The New Deal
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The "collapse in crude should have been rocket fuel for the battered growth trade", said SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
This would probably come alongside a collapse in demand for new chips and a flood of secondhand chips or cut-price compute hitting the market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
BT said its deal provided "a safety net" for TalkTalk customers as their broadband provider faced collapse without the takeover.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Facing the collapse of his government amid anti-democratic crackdowns and widespread labor unrest, Cuban President Gerardo Machado hightailed it to Florida in 1933.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
The more they listened to the people who ran the subprime market, the more they felt the collapse of double-A-rated bonds wasn’t a long shot at all, but likely.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Building collapses are not uncommon in Nairobi, with poor construction or improper planning often cited as contributing factors.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
There were 86 building collapses between 2009 and 2019, killing an estimated 200 people, according to a report by the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
Mark Hulbert found that stocks have tended to move sideways ahead of previous market tops, rather than experiencing spectacular collapses.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Calderas are large depressions that generally form when the ground collapses after magma is removed from an underground chamber.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
It might seem a bit academic to worry about what will happen when the universe collapses again, as it will not start to contract for at least another ten thousand million years.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
I quickly found that when I dumped all meat products, my food costs collapsed.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 1, 2026
Somoza made it to Miami as his regime collapsed during the Sandinista revolution, then moved on to the Bahamas and ultimately to Paraguay, then under the rule of military dictator Alfredo Stroessner.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
Structures damaged after the ceasefire collapsed were less than half of the size of the ones hit earlier, the Journal found.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
After her operation, Eleanor developed a collapsed lung as a result of surgery.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Sue collapsed onto the ground, and Akira slumped down beside her, glad for a moment’s rest.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
She and other analysts say the ACA market isn’t close to collapsing, but it will remain smaller than its peak in 2024 and 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
But it faces three threats: rivals that are catching up, prices that are collapsing, and bills that keep climbing.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany was taken to hospital after collapsing as he watched the club's second team train on Friday.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
That does not mean demand is collapsing, or that these stocks will always move together.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
They look a little like sea horses and will ride over land and sky, according to Vivi’s command, keeping their seeming for hours before collapsing back into weeds.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
