"collapse" in the noun sense
1. collapse, prostration
an abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion
"the commander's prostration demoralized his men"
2. collapse
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. flop, collapse
the act of throwing yourself down
"he landed on the bed with a great flop"
4. crash, collapse
a sudden large decline of business or the prices of stocks (especially one that causes additional failures)
"collapse" in the verb sense
1. collapse, fall in, cave in, give, give way, break, founder
break down, literally or metaphorically
"The wall collapsed"
"The business collapsed"
"The dam broke"
"The roof collapsed"
"The wall gave in"
"The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice"
2. break down, collapse
collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack
3. collapse
fold or close up
"fold up your umbrella"
"collapse the music stand"
4. crumble, crumple, tumble, break down, collapse
fall apart
"the building crumbled after the explosion"
"Negotiations broke down"
5. collapse, burst
cause to burst
"The ice broke the pipe"
6. crack up, crack, crock up, break up, collapse
suffer a nervous breakdown
7. collapse
lose significance, effectiveness, or value
"The school system is collapsing"
"The stock market collapsed"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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