collapse

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /kəˈlæps/

• Audio (US)

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Verb

Plain form collapse

Third-person singular collapses

Past tense collapsed

Past participle collapsed

Present participle collapsing

1. Something collapses when all its parts fall down loosely. A building or a bridge collapses when it breaks and all its parts fall down. A person collapses when they are tired and they fall into a chair or onto a bed and are too tired to get up.

   He was so tired, he just collapsed onto that chair.

   The bridge collapsed, but no one was hurt.

Related words

• collapsible

Noun

Singular collapse

Plural collapses

1. The act of collapsing.

   The collapse of the bridge means we can't go over the river any longer.