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:
So I would expect “potential normalization rather than an immediate collapse in fuel prices,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
In 2014, at the very bottom of Springfield’s income collapse, Daniels was working at Horace Mann Elementary, onboarding the new kindergarten class, when she realized something was amiss.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
In a video posted online, Dijana Hrka, whose son died in the station collapse, demanded an apology from Informer editor-in-chief Dragan Vucicevic.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
The 67-year-old will reprise his role as Owen Armstrong almost 11 years after the character left Weatherfield, following the collapse of his business and breakdown of his relationship with Anna Windass.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Seven had to force herself not to collapse right then and there.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Building collapses are not uncommon in Nairobi, with poor construction or improper planning often cited as contributing factors.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Critics say the animals suffer, pointing to deadly collapses and dangerous escapes, while advocates point to the jobs they create and the heritage they uphold.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
The schisms at Westish are mirrored in Pella’s deteriorating relationship with Mike, which collapses during Owen’s glitzy destination wedding on Block Island, R.I.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
It usually moves out to about 50 basis points, or collapses to zero.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
He collapses into the dining booth and looks up at the over-cab bunk where he’s supposed to sleep.
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
Eyewitnesses described hearing a loud noise as the rock spire near a car park collapsed, sending up a huge cloud of dust.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
The Ravens collapsed in the second half against Cincinnati.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
A “memorandum of understanding” struck in June collapsed two weeks after it was signed amid conflicting interpretations of how to unlock shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
But this mobility has collapsed, even as money for social services is drying up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Peach collapsed into a lump on the hallway floor.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
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
That does not mean demand is collapsing, or that these stocks will always move together.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
Most provocative are the thousands of small seismic tremors that emanated from the area of the slide in the days prior to the mountainside collapsing.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
Mangled drill towers and collapsing offshore platforms are visible as far as the eye can see.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Sometimes I thought it was my mother’s will alone that kept the house from collapsing around us.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
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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.
