collapse
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collapse
- /kəˈlæps/ Canada, US, UK
- /klæps/ Canada, US, UK
- /kəˈlɛps/ New Zealand
- /kɵˈlæps/ South Asia
- /kəˈlæps/ South Asia
Sounds like claps (monosyllabic) · Rhymes with -æps
Where it comes from
From Latin collāpsus (past participle of collābor).
verb collapses · collapsing · collapsed
- To break apart and fall down suddenly; to cave in. The wall collapsed when it was hit by the wrecking ball.
-
To cease to function due to a sudden breakdown; to fail suddenly and completely.
Pyramid schemes tend to generate profits for a while and then collapse.
Similar: slump
-
To fold compactly.
Similar: telescope
- To conflate, to ignore the distinctions between.
-
In a hierarchical list (such as a directory tree or table of contents), to hide the subentries of (an entry).
Opposite: expand
- To suffer a batting collapse. Immediately after his wicket the team collapsed for 69.
- To cause something to collapse. Hurry up and collapse the tent so we can get moving.
-
To pass out and fall to the floor or ground, as from exhaustion or other illness; to faint.
The exhausted singer collapsed on stage and had to be taken to the hospital.
Similar: slump
noun collapses
- The act of collapsing. She suffered a terrible collapse after slipping on the wet floor.
- Constant function, one-valued function (in automata theory) (in particular application causing a reset).
- Ellipsis of batting collapse
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: crumble, fall in, flop, tumble, break, break down, burst, break up, crack, crash, crumple, give way, crack up, give, founder, cave in
Translations
Every language
verb to fall down suddenly; to cave in
| Español | derrumbarse, desplomarse, colapsar[se] |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 무너지다 muneojida |
| 日本語 | 潰える tsuieru, 崩壊する hōkai suru |
| 中文 | 倒坍 dǎotān, 崩潰 /崩溃 bēngkuì, 崩落 bēngluò, 虛脫 /虚脱 xūtuō |
| हिन्दी | गिरना girnā |
| Português | desabar, ruir, desmoronar, colapsar-se |
| Français | s'effondrer |
| Deutsch | einstürzen, kollabieren, zusammenfallen |
| Italiano | collassare, crollare, accasciarsi |
| Ελληνικά | καταρρέω katarréo, καταπίπτω katapípto, σωριάζομαι soriázomai |
| Română | prăbuși |
| Русский | разруша́ться razrušátʹsja, разру́шиться razrúšitʹsja, обва́ливаться obválivatʹsja, обвали́ться obvalítʹsja, оседа́ть osedátʹ, осе́сть oséstʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | đổ, sập |
| العربية | اِنْهَار inhār |
| עברית | התמוטט hitmotét, קרס karás |
verb to cease to function due to a sudden breakdown
| Español | derrumbarse, desplomarse |
|---|---|
| Français | s'effondrer |
| Deutsch | zusammenbrechen, kollabieren |
| Italiano | collassare, bloccarsi, arrestarsi |
| Ελληνικά | καταρρέω katarréo |
| Română | prăbuși |
| Tiếng Việt | sụp đổ |
verb to fold compactly
| Español | colapsar |
|---|---|
| Português | contrair |
| Deutsch | einfallen |
| Italiano | collassare, crollare |
| Ελληνικά | διπλώνω diplóno |
| Русский | скла́дываться skládyvatʹsja, сложи́ться složítʹsja, свора́чиваться svoráčivatʹsja, сверну́ться svernútʹsja |
| עברית | התקפל hitkapél |
verb to cause to collapse
| Español | colapsar |
|---|---|
| Português | colapsar |
| Deutsch | einsacken lassen, zusammenfallen lassen, zusammensinken lassen, zusammenfalten, zusammenlegen |
| Ελληνικά | αποσυνθέτω aposynthéto, σπάω spáo, λύνω lýno |
| Русский | скла́дывать skládyvatʹ, сложи́ть složítʹ, свора́чивать svoráčivatʹ, сверну́ть svernútʹ |
| עברית | מוטט motét |
verb to pass out and fall to the floor or ground
| Deutsch | ohnmächtig niedersinken, ohnmächtig zusammensinken, kollabieren |
|---|---|
| עברית | התמוטט hitmotét |
noun act of collapsing
| Español | colapso, desplome, derrumbamiento |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 붕괴 bunggoe |
| 日本語 | 崩壊 hōkai |
| 中文 | 坍塌 tāntā, 崩潰 /崩溃 bēngkuì |
| Português | desabamento, desmoronamento, colapso |
| Français | effondrement, collapse |
| Deutsch | Kollaps, Zusammenbruch |
| Italiano | collasso, crollo, tracollo |
| Ελληνικά | κατάρρευση katárrefsi, λιποθυμία lipothymía |
| Română | colaps, cădere |
| Русский | обва́л obvál, прова́л provál, колла́пс kolláps, круше́ние krušénije, крах krax |
| العربية | اِنْهِيَار inhiyār |
| עברית | הִתְמוֹטְטוּת hitmotetut, קְרִיסָה krisa |
noun one-valued function
| Italiano | funzione costante, collasso |
|---|
Talk about this word "collapse." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/collapse. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. collapse. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/collapse "collapse." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/collapse.Cite this
@misc{collapse_2026,
title = {collapse},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/collapse},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
