"collapsing" 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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