Definition of Collapse

1. Verb. Break down, literally or metaphorically. "The business is going to collapse "; "The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice"

Exact synonyms: Break, Cave In, Fall In, Founder, Give, Give Way
Generic synonyms: Change
Specialized synonyms: Go Off, Implode, Buckle, Crumple, Flop, Break, Sink, Slide Down, Slump
Related verbs: Abandon, Give Up, Burst
Derivative terms: Cave In

2. Noun. An abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion. "The commander's prostration demoralized his men"
Exact synonyms: Prostration
Generic synonyms: Illness, Malady, Sickness, Unwellness
Specialized synonyms: Breakdown, Crack-up, Shock, Heat Hyperpyrexia, Heatstroke, Algidity

3. Verb. Collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack. "Sam and Sue collapse"
Exact synonyms: Break Down
Specialized synonyms: Drop Like Flies, Fall Over, Go Over
Generic synonyms: Get, Have, Suffer, Sustain
Derivative terms: Breakdown

4. Noun. A natural event caused by something suddenly falling down or caving in. ; "The collapse of the old star under its own gravity"
Generic synonyms: Happening, Natural Event, Occurrence, Occurrent
Specialized synonyms: Cave In, Subsidence, Debacle, Fiasco, Implosion

5. Verb. Fold or close up. "Collapse the music stand"
Generic synonyms: Fold, Fold Up, Turn Up
Specialized synonyms: Deflate, Concertina
Derivative terms: Collapsible

6. Noun. The act of throwing yourself down. "He landed on the bed with a great flop"
Exact synonyms: Flop
Generic synonyms: Descent
Derivative terms: Flop, Floppy

7. Verb. Fall apart. "The business is going to collapse "; "Negotiations broke down"
Exact synonyms: Break Down, Crumble, Crumple, Tumble
Generic synonyms: Change Integrity

8. Noun. A sudden large decline of business or the prices of stocks (especially one that causes additional failures).
Exact synonyms: Crash
Generic synonyms: Happening, Natural Event, Occurrence, Occurrent
Derivative terms: Crash

9. Verb. Cause to burst. "The ice broke the pipe"
Exact synonyms: Burst
Specialized synonyms: Pop
Causes: Break, Cave In, Fall In, Founder, Give, Give Way
Related verbs: Break, Cave In, Fall In, Founder, Give, Give Way

10. Verb. Suffer a nervous breakdown.
Exact synonyms: Break Up, Crack, Crack Up, Crock Up
Generic synonyms: Get, Have, Suffer, Sustain
Derivative terms: Crack-up

11. Verb. Lose significance, effectiveness, or value. "The stock market collapsed"
Generic synonyms: Weaken

Definition of Collapse

1. v. i. To fall together suddenly, as the sides of a hollow vessel; to close by falling or shrinking together; to have the sides or parts of (a thing) fall in together, or be crushed in together; as, a flue in the boiler of a steam engine sometimes collapses.

2. n. A falling together suddenly, as of the sides of a hollow vessel.

Definition of Collapse

1. Verb. (intransitive) To fall down suddenly; to cave in ¹

2. Verb. (intransitive) To cease to function due to a sudden breakdown ¹

3. Verb. (intransitive) To fold compactly ¹

4. Verb. (cricket) For several batsmen to get out in quick succession ¹

5. Verb. (transitive) To cause something to collapse. ¹

6. Verb. (intransitive) To pass out and fall to the floor or ground, as from exhaustion or other illness; to faint ¹

7. Noun. The act of collapsing ¹

8. Noun. Constant function, one-valued function (in automata theory) (in particular application causing a reset) ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Collapse

1. to crumble suddenly [v -LAPSED, -LAPSING, -LAPSES]

Medical Definition of Collapse

1. 1. A state of extreme prostration and depression, with failure of circulation. 2. Abnormal falling in of the walls of any part of organ. Origin: L. Collapsus This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Collapse

collagenosis
collagenous
collagenous pneumoconiosis
collagens
collages
collagey
collagic
collaging
collagist
collagists
collagraphy
collapsable
collapsar
collapsars
collapse (current term)
collapse delirium
collapse of dental arch
collapse therapy
collapsed
collapses
collapsibility
collapsible
collapsible shelter
collapsin
collapsing
collapsing pulse
collapsion
collapsions
collapsogram

Literary usage of Collapse

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Monographic Medicine by William Robie Patten Emerson, Guido Guerrini, William Brown, Wendell Christopher Phillips, John Whitridge Williams, John Appleton Swett, Hans Günther, Mario Mariotti, Hugh Grant Rowell (1916)
"(b) collapse Delirium In the deliria of convalescence (collapse delirium, ... These collapse deliria may last a long time (weeks or months), ..."

2. The Practitioner by Gale Group, ProQuest Information and Learning Company (1878)
"In sixteen cases of cholera, all in profound collapse, blue, cold, shrivelled, and pulseless, some with rapid irregular and difficult breathing, ..."

3. Text-book of Ophthalmology by Ernst Fuchs (1911)
"collapse of the cornea was formerly looked upon as an evil event, because it prevent.* .the precise apposition of the lips of the wound, and it was supposed ..."

4. Proceedings by American Society of Civil Engineers (1904)
"This Society is not responsible, as a body, for the facts and opinions advanced in any of its publications. THE collapse OF A BUILDING DURING CONSTRUCTION. ..."

5. The Journal of Physiology by Physiological Society (Great Britain). (1889)
"I may add that the tetanus following collapse of one lung under such conditions is seldom so long as on Curve viii, Plate II which has been chosen for its ..."

6. Science by American Association for the Advancement of Science (1883)
"If submarine flows were associated with the Fernandina collapse, they displayed ... The 1968 collapse was only the most recent of several such episodes on ..."

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