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Synonyms

keel over

British  

verb

  1. to turn upside down; capsize

  2. informal (intr) to collapse suddenly

"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

keel over Idioms  
  1. Collapse, as if in a faint; also, faint. For example, When she heard the awful news, she keeled over. This term alludes to a vessel rolling on its keel and capsizing. [Mid-1800s]


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 biggest story in Washington for the past six years has been whether or not one president or another is about to keel over.

From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026

It’s the humidity, which has spiked to over 80%, that has them feeling ready to keel over between sets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025

“I feel fine; I’ll probably keel over after I hang up the phone,” he joked.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2025

“I thought maybe I would keel over on the bench because I love it, I love it, I love it.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 10, 2024

I remembered the pleasure of fainting that day during the Daughters of Mary meeting and thought now how much I would like to keel over right here in the truck.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

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