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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"A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry
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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 excuses for the Dodgers collapse flew off the page minutes after the last out of Game 4.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Investors worried about a broader stock market collapse, fear not.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
A senior official in Peshawar told AFP that initial reports suggested the roof collapse was due to "weak infrastructure".
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The market for asset-backed commercial paper teetered on the brink of collapse during the financial crisis before stagnating for a decade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
When we’re tired, we collapse in a heap.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
A humanoid’s frantic attempts to stay upright—arms flailing, legs skittering—bears an uncanny resemblance to the choreographed collapses of Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
It usually moves out to about 50 basis points, or collapses to zero.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
But by afternoon on a recent weekday, Josh Charles actually looks like he teleported to the past as he collapses into a seat inside his production trailer in upstate New York.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Not all disasters are foreseeable but those that relate to geology, like landslides and glacier collapses, can often be detected early in the data, if there is capacity to spot the pattern.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Zola clops up to the balcony and collapses in the hammock.
From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech
He saw a gaping hole where the walls had collapsed and realized he had accidentally sent the coordinates of his own basement location.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
A man named Sohail told AFP that "everyone began screaming in panic" when his niece, who had escaped the building, arrived home to tell them it had collapsed.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The death toll in Iraq reached one million in the same year that Lehman Brothers collapsed.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
On 21 October 1966, as a primary school and surrounding homes in Aberfan were engulfed by slurry from a collapsed coal tip, a dinner lady was collecting money from pupils.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
She ran back to the house and nearly collapsed in the foyer, where the entry clock provided unwelcome news.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
A collapsing property market hasn’t found a bottom, legions of college graduates can’t find jobs and companies are struggling to turn a profit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
"Protection cannot be reduced indefinitely without systems collapsing," said Dominique Hyde, UNHCR's external relations chief.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Communities across all states bordering Wyoming face darkness, breathing difficulties and roofs collapsing under accumulated ash.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
The newspaper said the parties have discussed compromises, including agreeing to keep Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. film studios separate for a period of time rather than immediately collapsing them into one unit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Owen felt like jumping for joy and collapsing to his knees all at the same time.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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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.
