Adjacent Words

Collapse definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COLLAPSE, v.i. To fall together, as the two sides of a vessel; to close by falling together; as, the fine canals or vessels of the body collapse in old age.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion; "the commander's prostration demoralized his men" [syn: collapse, prostration]
2: a natural event caused by something suddenly falling down or caving in; "the roof is in danger of collapse"; "the collapse of the old star under its own gravity"
3: the act of throwing yourself down; "he landed on the bed with a great flop" [syn: flop, collapse]
4: a sudden large decline of business or the prices of stocks (especially one that causes additional failures) [syn: crash, collapse] v
1: break down, literally or metaphorically; "The wall collapsed"; "The business collapsed"; "The dam broke"; "The roof collapsed"; "The wall gave in"; "The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice" [syn: collapse, fall in, cave in, give, give way, break, founder]
2: collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack [syn: break down, collapse]
3: fold or close up; "fold up your umbrella"; "collapse the music stand"
4: fall apart; "the building crumbled after the explosion"; "Negotiations broke down" [syn: crumble, crumple, tumble, break down, collapse]
5: cause to burst; "The ice broke the pipe" [syn: collapse, burst]
6: suffer a nervous breakdown [syn: crack up, crack, crock up, break up, collapse]
7: lose significance, effectiveness, or value; "The school system is collapsing"; "The stock market collapsed"

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (collapsed; collapsing) Etymology: Latin collapsus, past participle of collabi, from com- + labi to fall, slide — more at sleep Date: 1732 intransitive verb 1. to fall or shrink together abruptly and completely ; fall into a jumbled or flattened mass through the force of external pressure <a blood vessel that collapsed> 2. to break down completely ; disintegrate <his case had collapsed in a mass of legal wreckage — Erle Stanley Gardner> 3. to cave or fall in or give way <the bridge collapsed> 4. to suddenly lose force, significance, effectiveness, or worth <fears that the currency may collapse> 5. to break down in vital energy, stamina, or self-control through exhaustion or disease; especially to fall helpless or unconscious 6. to fold down into a more compact shape <a chair that collapses> transitive verb 1. to cause to collapse <buildings collapsed by an earthquake> 2. condense <collapse several stories into one> • collapsibility noun • collapsible adjective II. noun Date: 1801 1. a. a breakdown in vital energy, strength, or stamina b. a state of extreme prostration and physical depression (as from circulatory failure or great loss of body fluids) c. an airless state of all or part of a lung originating spontaneously or induced surgically 2. the act or action of collapsing <the cutting of many tent ropes, the collapse of the canvas — Rudyard Kipling> 3. a sudden failure ; breakdown, ruin 4. a sudden loss of force, value, or effect <the collapse of respect for ancient law and custom — L. S. B. Leakey>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 the tumbling down or falling in of a structure; folding up; giving way. 2 a sudden failure of a plan, undertaking, etc. 3 a physical or mental breakdown. --v. 1 a intr. undergo or experience a collapse. b tr. cause to collapse. 2 intr. colloq. lie or sit down and relax, esp. after prolonged effort (collapsed into a chair). 3 a intr. (of furniture etc.) be foldable into a small space. b tr. fold (furniture) in this way. Derivatives: collapsible adj. collapsibility n. Etymology: L collapsus past part. of collabi (as COM-, labi slip)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Collapse Col*lapse", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Collapsed; p. pr. & vb. n. Collapsing] [L. collapsus, p. p. of collabi to collapse; col- + labi to fall, slide. See Lapse.] 1. To fall together suddenly, as the sides of a hollow vessel; to close by falling or shrinking together; to have the sides or parts of (a thing) fall in together, or be crushed in together; as, a flue in the boiler of a steam engine sometimes collapses. A balloon collapses when the gas escapes from it. --Maunder. 2. To fail suddenly and completely, like something hollow when subject to too much pressure; to undergo a collapse; as, Maximilian's government collapsed soon after the French army left Mexico; many financial projects collapse after attaining some success and importance.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Collapse Col*lapse", n. 1. A falling together suddenly, as of the sides of a hollow vessel. 2. A sudden and complete failure; an utter failure of any kind; a breakdown. [Colloq.] 3. (Med.) Extreme depression or sudden failing of all the vital powers, as the result of disease, injury, or nervous disturbance.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(collapses, collapsing, collapsed) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If a building or other structure collapses, it falls down very suddenly. A section of the Bay Bridge had collapsed... Most of the deaths were caused by landslides and collapsing buildings. VERB: V, V-ing • Collapse is also a noun. Governor Deukmejian called for an inquiry into the freeway's collapse. 2. If something, for example a system or institution, collapses, it fails or comes to an end completely and suddenly. His business empire collapsed under a massive burden of debt... The rural people have been impoverished by a collapsing economy. VERB: V, V-ing • Collapse is also a noun. The coup's collapse has speeded up the drive to independence... Their economy is teetering on the brink of collapse. N-UNCOUNT 3. If you collapse, you suddenly faint or fall down because you are very ill or weak. He collapsed following a vigorous exercise session at his home... VERB: V • Collapse is also a noun. A few days after his collapse he was sitting up in bed. 4. If you collapse onto something, you sit or lie down suddenly because you are very tired. She arrived home exhausted and barely capable of showering before collapsing on her bed. VERB: V prep, also V

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Falling together, falling in (as the sides of a flue). 2. (Med.) Prostration, exhaustion, sinking, extreme depression. 3. Break-down, downfall, utter failure, dead failure, abortion, brutum fulmen, "lame and impotent conclusion," flash in the pan. II. v. n. 1. Fall together, fall in. 2. Break-down, come to nothing, fail utterly, go out in smoke, vanish in thin air.

Moby Thesaurus

OD, Waterloo, amiable weakness, bankruptcy, be brought down, be felled, be found wanting, be ruined, be struck down, be traumatized, beating, become insolvent, bend, blow, bouncing check, break, break down, break out, break up, breakability, breakage, breakdown, breaking up, breakup, brittleness, burn out, bust, cascade, catabasis, cataclysm, cataract, catastrophe, catch, catch cold, cave, cave in, cave-in, changeableness, chute, circulatory collapse, collapse, come apart, come down, come down with, come short, come to naught, come to nothing, come unstuck, comedown, conk out, conquering, conquest, contract, crack, crack up, crack-up, crackup, crash, crippling, cropper, crumble, crumple, daintiness, damage, deathblow, debacle, deceleration, declension, declination, decline, decline and fall, decrescendo, defeat, deflate, deflation, defluxion, delicacy, descend, descending, descension, descent, destructibility, destruction, detriment, dilapidation, diminish, diminuendo, dip down, disablement, disappear, disappearance, disaster, disintegrate, disintegration, disorganization, disrepair, disruption, dissolution, dissolve, dive, down, downbend, downcome, downcurve, downfall, downflow, downgrade, downpour, downrush, downtrend, downturn, downward trend, draining, droop, drop, drop down, drop off, dropping, drubbing, dwindling, ebb, effeminacy, encroachment, erupt, evaporate, exhaust, exhaustedness, exhaustion, fade, fag, fail, failure, faint, fall, fall away, fall dead, fall down, fall flat, fall in, fall off, fall short, fall stillborn, fall through, fall to pieces, falling, fatigue, fever, fizzle out, flag, flimsiness, fold, fold up, founder, fragility, frailty, frangibility, gasp, get, get bogged down, get hung up, get mired, get tired, give out, give way, go, go bankrupt, go broke, go down, go downhill, go into receivership, go into shock, go soft, go to pieces, go to pot, go to ruin, go to smash, go under, go up, gravitate, gravitation, grow weary, harm, hiding, hit the skids, hobbling, human frailty, hurt, hurting, impairment, implode, implosion, incapacitation, inclination, indecisiveness, infirmity of will, infringement, inherent vice, injury, inroad, insolvency, insufficient funds, irresolution, jade, keel over, kited check, lack, lag, lambasting, languish, lapse, lathering, licking, lightness, lose altitude, lose ground, loss, maiming, mastery, mayhem, mischief, moral weakness, mutilation, nervous breakdown, nervous exhaustion, nervous prostration, neurasthenia, nose dive, not answer, not hack it, not make it, not make out, not measure up, not stretch, not suffice, overcoming, overdose, overdraft, overdrawn account, overthrow, overturn, pant, parachute, pass out, peg out, peter out, pine, pitch, play out, plummet, plummeting, plunge, poop out, pounce, pour down, pratfall, precipitate, prostration, puff, puff and blow, puncture, quietus, rain, rapids, receivership, remission, retreat, ruin, ruination, ruining, ruinousness, run a temperature, run down, run out, run short, sabotage, scathe, shatter, shipwreck, shut down, sicken, sickening, sink, sleaziness, slightness, slowdown, slump, smash, smashup, spoiling, stoop, stop short, stumble, subdual, subduing, subjugation, subsidence, succumb, sway, swoon, swoop, tailspin, take, take ill, thrashing, tire, topple, topple down, topple over, total loss, totter, trend downward, trimming, trouncing, tumble, undoing, unsubstantiality, vanquishment, velleity, wane, want, washout, waterfall, weaken, weakening, wear away, wear thin, weary, wheeze, whipping, wilt, wispiness, womanishness, wrack, wreck, yield