Skip to definition.
Get the FREE one-click dictionary software for Windows or the iPhone/iPad and Android apps


Verb: collapse  ku'laps
  1. Break down, literally or metaphorically
    "The wall collapsed"; "The business collapsed"; "The roof collapsed";
    - fall in, cave in, give, give way, break, founder
     
  2. Fall or become unconscious due to fatigue, illness, or a sudden attack
    - break down
     
  3. Fold or close up
    "collapse the music stand"
     
  4. Fall apart
    "the building collapsed after the explosion";
    - crumble, crumple, tumble, break down
     
  5. Cause to burst
    - burst
     
  6. Suffer a nervous breakdown
    - crack up, crack, crock up, break up
     
  7. Lose significance, effectiveness, or value
    "The school system is collapsing"; "The stock market collapsed"
Noun: collapse  ku'laps
  1. An abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion
    "the commander's collapse demoralized his men";
    - 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; collapse; sink
    - flop
     
  4. A sudden large decline of business or the prices of stocks (especially one that causes additional failures)
    - crash

Derived forms: collapsed, collapses, collapsing

Type of: change, change integrity, descent, fold, fold up, get, happening, have, illness, malady, natural event, occurrence, occurrent, sickness, suffer, sustain, turn up, unwellness, weaken

Encyclopedia: Collapse