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Collapse

//kəˈlæps// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The act of collapsing. countable, uncountable

    "She suffered a terrible collapse after slipping on the wet floor."

  2. 2
    the act of throwing yourself down; collapse; sink wordnet
  3. 3
    Constant function, one-valued function (in automata theory) (in particular application causing a reset). countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    a natural event caused by something suddenly falling down or caving in wordnet
  5. 5
    Ellipsis of batting collapse. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
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  1. 6
    a sudden large decline of business or the prices of stocks (especially one that causes additional failures) wordnet
  2. 7
    an abrupt failure of function or complete physical exhaustion wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To break apart and fall down suddenly; to cave in. intransitive

    "A balloon collapses when the gas escapes from it."

  2. 2
    collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack wordnet
  3. 3
    To cease to function due to a sudden breakdown; to fail suddenly and completely. intransitive

    "Pyramid schemes tend to generate profits for a while and then collapse."

  4. 4
    lose significance, effectiveness, or value wordnet
  5. 5
    To fold compactly. intransitive
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  1. 6
    suffer a nervous breakdown wordnet
  2. 7
    In a hierarchical list (such as a directory tree or table of contents), to hide the subentries of (an entry). transitive
  3. 8
    break down, literally or metaphorically wordnet
  4. 9
    To suffer a batting collapse. intransitive

    "Immediately after his wicket the team collapsed for 69."

  5. 10
    cause to burst wordnet
  6. 11
    To cause something to collapse. transitive

    "Hurry up and collapse the tent so we can get moving."

  7. 12
    fall apart wordnet
  8. 13
    To pass out and fall to the floor or ground, as from exhaustion or other illness; to faint. intransitive

    "The exhausted singer collapsed on stage and had to be taken to the hospital."

  9. 14
    fold or close up wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Latin collāpsus (past participle of collābor).

Etymology 2

From Latin collāpsus (past participle of collābor).

See also for "collapse"

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