- 1[intransitive] to fall down or fall in suddenly, often after breaking apart The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. of sick person
- 2[intransitive] to fall down (and usually become unconscious), especially because you are very sick He collapsed in the street and died two hours later.
- 3[intransitive] (informal) to sit or lie down and relax, especially after working hard When I get home, I like to collapse on the sofa and listen to music. fail
- 4[intransitive] to fail suddenly or completely synonym break down Talks between management and unions have collapsed. All opposition to the plan has collapsed. of prices/currencies
- 5[intransitive] to decrease suddenly in amount or value Share prices collapsed after the news. fold
- 6[intransitive, transitive] collapse (something) to fold something into a shape that uses less space; to be able to be folded in this way synonym fold up The table collapses for easy storage. medical
- 7[intransitive, transitive] collapse (something) if a lung or blood vessel collapses or is collapsed, it falls in and becomes flat and empty
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NAmE//kəˈlæps//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they collapse he / she / it collapses
past simple collapsed
-ing form collapsing
adjective collapsed buildings a collapsed investment bank a collapsed lungSee collapse in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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