collapse

[kuh-laps]

verb (used without object)

collapsed, collapsing 

1. to fall or cave in; crumble suddenly.

   The roof collapsed and buried the crowd.

2. to be made so that sections or parts can be folded up, as for convenient storage.

   This bridge table collapses.

3. to break down; come to nothing; fail.

   Despite all their efforts the peace talks collapsed.

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

5. Pathology.

   1. to sink into extreme weakness.

   2. (of lungs) to come into an airless state.

verb (used with object)

collapsed, collapsing 

1. to cause to collapse.

   He collapsed the table easily.

noun

1. a falling in or together.

   Three miners were trapped by the collapse of the tunnel roof.

2. a sudden, complete failure; breakdown.

   The bribery scandal brought about the complete collapse of his industrial empire.

collapse

/ kəˈlæps /

verb

1. (intr) to fall down or cave in suddenly

   the whole building collapsed

2. (intr) to fail completely

   his story collapsed on investigation

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

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

noun

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

2. a sudden failure or breakdown

Other Word Forms

• collapsible adjective
• collapsibility noun
• precollapse verb
• uncollapsed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of collapse¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of collapse¹

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

Example Sentences

A previous ceasefire agreement that began in January collapsed after two months when Israel resumed its military offensive, having never got past the first stage of a three-stage plan.

Read more on BBC

At least 60 people have been killed in a drone strike at a displacement shelter in el-Fasher, a besieged Sudanese city on the brink of collapse.

Read more on BBC

The Rams play at the Baltimore Ravens, coming off a 44-10 collapse to Houston.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Men, women and children navigated streets filled with rubble, searching for homes amid collapsed concrete slabs, destroyed vehicles and debris.

Read more on Barron's

A lawyer for James told the court at a bankruptcy hearing that the First Brands collapse was caused largely by macroeconomic factors and denied wrongdoing by management.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• break 
• cave in 
• crumple 
• disintegrate 
• drop 
• fail 
• faint 
• fall down 
• founder 
• give way 
• shatter 
• topple 
• weaken 

When To Use

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.