collapse

[ kuh-laps ]

/ kəˈlæps /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: collapse / collapsed / collapsing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), col·lapsed, col·laps·ing.

to fall or cave in; crumble suddenly: The roof collapsed and buried the crowd.

to be made so that sections or parts can be folded up, as for convenient storage: This bridge table collapses.

to break down; come to nothing; fail: Despite all their efforts the peace talks collapsed.

to fall unconscious or as if unconscious or physically depleted, as from a stroke, heart attack, disease, or exhaustion.

Pathology.

to sink into extreme weakness.
(of lungs) to come into an airless state.

verb (used with object), col·lapsed, col·laps·ing.

to cause to collapse: He collapsed the table easily.

noun

a falling in or together: Three miners were trapped by the collapse of the tunnel roof.

a sudden, complete failure; breakdown: The bribery scandal brought about the complete collapse of his industrial empire.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of collapse

1725–35; <Latin collāpsus (past participle of collābī to fall, fall in ruins), equivalent to col-col-¹ + lāp-, variant stem of lābī to fall + -sus, variant of -tus past participle ending

OTHER WORDS FROM collapse

pre·col·lapse, verb, pre·col·lapsed, pre·col·laps·ing.un·col·lapsed, adjective

Words nearby collapse

collage, collagen, collagen disease, collagen injection, collapsar, collapse, collapse of communism, collapsible, collar, collarbone, collar button

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT COLLAPSE

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.

Where does collapse come from?

The first records of collapse come from around 1725. It comes from the Latin collābī, meaning “to fall to ruins.” To collapse is to literally or figuratively fall, usually suddenly.

With any building or man-made structure, a big concern is the structure collapsing. To prevent this, structures are reinforced to be as sturdy as possible. Modern building collapses are usually due to poor construction methods or a lack of building maintenance. Building and bridge collapses are often major tragedies that cause death and extensive damage.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to collapse?

precollapse (verb)
uncollapsed (adjective)
collapsible (adjective)
collapsibility (noun)

What are some synonyms for collapse?

What are some words that share a root or word element with collapse?

What are some words that often get used in discussing collapse?

How is collapse used in real life?

Collapse is a common word that means to fall apart or suddenly fail.

President @ashrafghani told me due to the quake a school building collapsed & children lost their lives. I was very pained to hear of this.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 26, 2015

In the course of about ten minutes the entirety of my weekend plans collapsed.

— John Jannuzzi (@johnjannuzzi) July 22, 2016

Great news: Florida basketball star Keyontae Johnson, who collapsed on court Dec. 12, is being released from the hospital today. 🙏🏽

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 22, 2020

Try using collapse!

Is collapse used correctly in the following sentence?

The company collapsed when it released a popular new toy and became more successful than ever.

MORE ABOUT COLLAPSE

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.

Where does collapse come from?

The first records of collapse come from around 1725. It comes from the Latin collābī, meaning “to fall to ruins.” To collapse is to literally or figuratively fall, usually suddenly.

With any building or man-made structure, a big concern is the structure collapsing. To prevent this, structures are reinforced to be as sturdy as possible. Modern building collapses are usually due to poor construction methods or a lack of building maintenance. Building and bridge collapses are often major tragedies that cause death and extensive damage.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to collapse?

precollapse (verb)
uncollapsed (adjective)
collapsible (adjective)
collapsibility (noun)

What are some synonyms for collapse?

What are some words that share a root or word element with collapse?

What are some words that often get used in discussing collapse?

How is collapse used in real life?

Collapse is a common word that means to fall apart or suddenly fail.

President @ashrafghani told me due to the quake a school building collapsed & children lost their lives. I was very pained to hear of this.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 26, 2015

In the course of about ten minutes the entirety of my weekend plans collapsed.

— John Jannuzzi (@johnjannuzzi) July 22, 2016

Great news: Florida basketball star Keyontae Johnson, who collapsed on court Dec. 12, is being released from the hospital today. 🙏🏽

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 22, 2020

Try using collapse!

Is collapse used correctly in the following sentence?

The company collapsed when it released a popular new toy and became more successful than ever.

How to use collapse in a sentence

Our analysis so far indicates that the answer is yes, provided the spontaneous collapse rate increases with the curvature of spacetime.
Schrödinger’s Cat When Nobody Is Looking - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Daniel Sudarsky|August 26, 2020|Nautilus
The country was already teetering on the edge of economic collapse before the blast.
Sunday Magazine: A World in Need|Daniel Malloy|August 16, 2020|Ozy
There also was the collapse of a fuel tank in the mining city of Norilsk.
Siberian heat wave that caused an oil spill made more likely by climate change|Carolyn Gramling|August 13, 2020|Science News For Students
No matter how bizarre and twisted the universe looked before it contracted, the collapse would efficiently erase a wide range of primordial wrinkles.
Big Bounce Simulations Challenge the Big Bang|Charlie Wood|August 4, 2020|Quanta Magazine

The wave of evictions caused by the coronavirus could swamp even the massive dislocation caused by the collapse of the US housing bubble more than a decade ago.
Trump is making home loans riskier during a housing crisis|Tim Fernholz|July 28, 2020|Quartz
Angry Birds at its simplest was the same way, though you wanted to watch things collapse and explode.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
No precautions have been taken to reinforce the ceilings, which could collapse onto the statues.
Florence Preps ‘David’ for the Big One|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1997, an earthquake in Assisi caused the collapse of the main cathedral and killed ten people.
Florence Preps ‘David’ for the Big One|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A hard look at campus rape statistics, the collapse of The New Republic and the day John Lennon died.
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Dec 8-14, 2014|William Boot|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But to say the capital teeters on the verge of collapse is both melodramatic and misleading.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley|Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At any moment, if he cared to collapse, he could make ten thousand pounds in a single day.
The Doctor of Pimlico|William Le Queux
The danger of collapse was past for the present, but the deep sleep of utter intoxication still clung to the ruler of Asturia.
The Weight of the Crown|Fred M. White
In a big armchair a white-haired man in evening dress was lying back in a state of collapse.
The Weight of the Crown|Fred M. White
Beyond doubt here was the ruler of Asturia, whom Jessie had left not so long before in a state of collapse.
The Weight of the Crown|Fred M. White
Collapse ensues and death takes place on the second to the fourth day of the affection.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley

British Dictionary definitions for collapse

collapse

/ (kəˈlæps) /

verb

(intr) to fall down or cave in suddenlythe whole building collapsed

(intr) to fail completelyhis story collapsed on investigation

(intr) to break down or fall down from lack of strength

to fold (furniture, etc) compactly or (of furniture, etc) to be designed to fold compactly

noun

the act or instance of suddenly falling down, caving in, or crumbling

a sudden failure or breakdown

Derived forms of collapse

collapsible or collapsable, adjectivecollapsibility or collapsability, noun

Word Origin for collapse

C18: from Latin collāpsus, from collābī to fall in ruins, from lābī to fall

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

collapse

Origin of collapse

OTHER WORDS FROM collapse

Words nearby collapse

MORE ABOUT COLLAPSE

What does collapse mean?

Where does collapse come from?

Did you know … ?

How is collapse used in real life?

Try using collapse!

MORE ABOUT COLLAPSE

What does collapse mean?

Where does collapse come from?

Did you know ... ?​

How is collapse used in real life?

Try using collapse!

Words related to collapse

How to use collapse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for collapse

Derived forms of collapse

Word Origin for collapse

Did you know ... ?