collapse

Formscollapses, collapsing, collapsed

Pluralcollapses

1. 1
   verbintransitive

   To break apart and fall down all at once.

   Like a tower of blocks falling over when you pull one out.

   The old shed could collapse if the snow gets any heavier.

   Part of the tunnel collapsed after the heavy rain.

   Similarcrumble, fall, buckle, topple, subside

   Note
2. 2
   verbintransitive

   To stop working or fail suddenly and completely.

   The company could collapse if it loses its biggest customer.

   Talks between the two sides collapsed after just one day.

   Similarfail, fold, founder, crumble, disintegrate

   Oppositesucceed, thrive, flourish

   Note
3. 3
   verbintransitive

   To suddenly fall to the ground because you faint or are too weak to stand.

   Runners sometimes collapse at the finish line on very hot days.

   She collapsed in the kitchen, and her husband called an ambulance.

   Similarfaint, swoon, drop, fall

4. 4
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The sudden falling down or failure of something.

   The collapse of the old bridge closed the road for months.

   After the bank's collapse, many people lost their savings.

   Similarfailure, breakdown, downfall, fall, crash

   Oppositerise, recovery

   Note
5. 5
   verbtransitive

   To make something break and fall down, or fold it up small.

   The workers will collapse the old chimney with a machine.

   After the picnic, we collapsed the folding table and put it away.

   Similardemolish, flatten, fold, topple

   Oppositeerect, unfold, extend

   Note
6. 6
   verbintransitive

   To fold up into a small, flat shape.

   Like an umbrella that folds down small to fit in a bag.

   The chairs collapse flat for easy storage.

   This stroller collapses so it fits in the trunk of a car.

   Similarfold, telescope, retract

   Oppositeexpand, extend, unfold

7. 7
   verbtransitive

   To hide the smaller items inside a folder or list on a screen.

   Like closing a drawer so you can't see what's inside, but everything is still there.

   Click the arrow to collapse the folder and hide its files.

   She collapsed the long menu so only the main topics showed.

   Similarfold, hide

   Oppositeexpand

   Note
8. 8
   verbintransitive

   In cricket, to lose several batters one after another while scoring very few runs.

   Even the best teams can collapse on a difficult pitch.

   The home team collapsed after lunch and lost the match by evening.

   Similarcrumble, fold, capitulate

   Note
9. 9
   nouncountableabbreviationellipsis

   Short for batting collapse. Used in cricket when a team loses many batters quickly while scoring few runs.

   Their collapse on the last morning cost them the match.

   The captain blamed tired batters for the collapse after lunch.

   Note
10. 10
    nouncountable

    In math, a rule that gives the same answer no matter what you put in.

    Like a vending machine that gives the same snack no matter which button you press.

    In this machine, the collapse sends every state back to the start state.

    This rule acts as a collapse: whatever number you give it, the answer is always zero.

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