26984 words

collapse

14 definitions • 31 examples
1
to fall down suddenly because of pressure or having no strength or support:

Examples:

collapse under someone's/something's weight The chair collapsed under her weight.
figurative He thought his whole world had collapsed when his wife died.
2
If someone collapses, they fall down because of being sick or weak:

Examples:

He collapsed and died of a heart attack.
She felt her legs give way and she collapsed to the floor.
3
to fold something into a smaller shape, usually so it can be stored, or (especially of furniture) to fold in this way:

Examples:

All chairs collapse for easy storage.
4
(of people and business) to suddenly be unable to continue or work correctly:

Examples:

5

Examples:

collapse of I don't know what caused the collapse of her marriage.
A poor economy has caused the collapse of thousands of small businesses.
on the brink of collapse Negotiations between the two countries are on the brink of collapse (= very soon going to fail).
on the verge of collapse The economy was on the verge of collapse.
mental collapse He suffered a mental collapse after ten years' teaching.
nervous collapse She had a nervous collapse and was unable to return to work.
suffer a collapse After years of frustration and intense hard work, he suffered a total collapse.
6
the sudden falling movement of a person or structure that has become too weak to stand:

Examples:

He was taken to hospital after his collapse on the pitch.
the collapse of a building during the earthquake
7
to fall down suddenly, or to cause to fall down:

Examples:

[ I ] A piece of the wall collapsed on top of him.
8
to be unable to continue or to stay in operation; fail:

Examples:

9
an inability to continue or to stay in operation:

Examples:

[ U ] the collapse of the Soviet empire
10
Collapse can also refer to an attack of extreme physical weakness or unconsciousness in a person:

Examples:

[ U ] Toward the end of the race he was near collapse.
11

Examples:

the system/economy/government, etc. collapses Without computers the whole economic system would collapse.
talks/negotiations collapse
12
to suddenly fall to a much lower level:

Examples:

13

Examples:

A poor economy has caused the collapse of thousands of small businesses.
on the brink/verge of collapse Negotiations between the two companies are on the brink of collapse
14
a sudden fall to a much lower level:

Examples:

the collapse of the American real estate market
a price/market collapse Did options accelerate the oil price collapse?

Navigation