collapsed 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in fallen

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in destroyed

Related Words

Dissimilar Words
3
as in unconscious

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

collapsed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of collapse
1
as in crumpled
to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure the motel balcony collapsed under the weight of so many people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in failed
to be unsuccessful the legal case collapsed in the face of the opposition's evidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in compressed
to reduce in size or volume by or as if by pressing parts or members together the novel collapses events from four separate trips into one long odyssey

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of collapsed
Adjective
Crews with the Los Angeles County Fire Department are battling heavy flames at an Inglewood multi-unit commercial building, as thick smoke billows from a collapsed roof. — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 Researchers have developed cyborg cockroaches that could help deliver emergency medical care to people trapped in collapsed buildings, caves, and other dangerous locations. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026 Henry County Coroner Brian Clark said the man, James Briar, appears to have gone around a barricade and fallen into the collapsed road. — ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026 Nearly all cited the number of people killed, while large majorities pointed to orphaned children, mothers who lost children, grieving families and victims whose bodies remained trapped beneath collapsed buildings. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2026 Aside from rubble and collapsed buildings, the earthquake left behind people, who hope they won’t be forgotten. — Julimar Valentina Rivas Perez, NBC news, 24 July 2026 Clips recorded just after the storm came through showed trees covering cars and a collapsed tent. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026 Animals could also be seen trapped beneath collapsed buildings. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2026 In a later post, TxDOT shared an on-the-ground look at the collapsed bridge, showing floodwaters still rushing across the collapsed portion. — Natassia Paloma, USA Today, 17 July 2026
Verb
Eons ago a star up to 30 times the mass of our sun collapsed and perished, forming a black hole. — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 After reaching a grassy area between the lot and East Seminary Drive, Holt collapsed. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026 Evans, 34, comes from a wealthy San Diego hotel family and stood by Holmes as her blood-testing startup Theranos collapsed and she was convicted in 2022 of defrauding investors. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 Even after Bretton Woods collapsed and many currencies floated freely, the dollar continued to dominate. — Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026 Spirit Airlines, one of the most prominent ultra-low-cost airlines in the US, collapsed earlier this year. — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026 In the span of just ten days in August, the Afghan government collapsed, the president fled in a helicopter, and a suicide bombing at Kabul airport killed 13 US soldiers and 170 civilians. — Azadeh Moaveni, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026 Holt later collapsed outside the mall and was pronounced dead. — S.e. Jenkins, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2026 Ryder’s Law was reintroduced this year after another carriage horse collapsed and died in Central Park, and in a separate incident, tourist Romanch Mahajan, 18, died after falling off a carriage after the operator lost control. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collapsed
  1. fallen
  2. imploded
  3. unconscious
  4. crumpled
  5. failed
  6. compressed
  7. faded
  8. split
Adjective
  • Brown and her relatives say the fallen officer tragedy has reignited their trauma and desperation for justice.
    — Liz Crawford, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The Florida deaths involved a fallen tree and a man found in a closed garage with a running generator.
    — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of fallen
Adjective
  • Around a decade ago Theranos, one of the buzziest science start-ups ever, imploded.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Today, with an imploded refi business and rates closing in on 7%, the AI mortgage company’s market value stands at just $300 million.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of imploded
Adjective
  • Together, the four officers dragged the unconscious man into the hallway.
    — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Like Dominique Pelicot, the French man who used the online chat platform Coco to recruit men to rape his drugged and unconscious wife, the @SteveCumfulls of the world thrive on the internet’s reach and de-facto anonymity.
    — Anahid Nersessian, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of unconscious
Verb
  • The silver vehicle lay upside down in the Uncompahgre River, crumpled like an aluminum can.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • At the beginning of a normal Friday practice in Week 11, Bowman crumpled to the grass at the Falcons’ practice facility.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of crumpled
Verb
  • Several lawmakers tried to crack down on immigration during the 2026 legislative session, but all but one bill failed to cross the finish line.
    — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Stevenson set about interviewing locals about why the mine had failed.
    — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of failed
Verb
  • How the whiplash is different now Now, the time frame is being compressed.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Full resolution can use a lot more storage There is a reason photo-sharing services have compressed images for years.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of compressed
Adjective
  • At the denouement, Kember is completely alone, his flat, narcotized baritone dripping onto the faded guitar notes like melted mercury.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The Fly Faster Tee uses heavyweight cotton jersey with a faded finish, while the Patch Tee receives a heavy enzyme wash.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of faded
Adjective
  • Granite counters and a mini-split air-conditioning unit round out the room, which acts like a hub, connecting to multiple other spaces.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Jim Orr, Universal’s head of domestic distribution, noted that the audience gender divide was evenly split and about 2/3 were between 18 and 34 years old.
    — Lindsey Bahr, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of split

Browse Nearby Words

collapse
collapsed
collapses
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Collapsed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collapsed. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vocation

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All