collapse
[ kuh-laps ]
/ kəˈlæps /
verb (used without object), col·lapsed, col·laps·ing.
verb (used with object), col·lapsed, col·laps·ing.
to cause to collapse: He collapsed the table easily.
noun
a falling in or together: Three miners were trapped by the collapse of the tunnel roof.
a sudden, complete failure; breakdown: The bribery scandal brought about the complete collapse of his industrial empire.
Origin of collapse
1725–35; < Latin
collāpsus (past participle of
collābī to fall, fall in ruins), equivalent to
col-
col-1 +
lāp-, variant stem of
lābī to fall +
-sus, variant of
-tus past participle ending
OTHER WORDS FROM collapse
pre·col·lapse, verb, pre·col·lapsed, pre·col·laps·ing. un·col·lapsed, adjectiveWords nearby collapse
Example sentences from the Web for collapse
British Dictionary definitions for collapse
collapse
/ (kəˈlæps) /
verb
(intr)
to fall down or cave in suddenly
the whole building collapsed
(intr)
to fail completely
his story collapsed on investigation
(intr)
to break down or fall down from lack of strength
to fold (furniture, etc) compactly or (of furniture, etc) to be designed to fold compactly
noun
the act or instance of suddenly falling down, caving in, or crumbling
a sudden failure or breakdown
Derived forms of collapse
collapsible or collapsable, adjective collapsibility or collapsability, nounWord Origin for collapse
C18: from Latin
collāpsus, from
collābī to fall in ruins, from
lābī to fall
Medical definitions for collapse
collapse
[ kə-lăps′ ]
v.
To break down suddenly in strength or health and thereby fall into a condition of extreme prostration.
To fall together or inward suddenly.
n.
A condition of extreme prostration.
A falling together of the walls of a structure.
The failure of a physical system.