an instance of a structure falling down or giving way:the collapse of a railway bridge [mass noun]:the church roof is in danger of collapse
a sudden failure of an institution or undertaking:the collapse of a number of prominent banks
a physical or mental breakdown:he suffered a collapse from overwork [mass noun]:she’s lying there in a state of collapse
ზმნა
Universal
1(of a structure) suddenly fall down or give way:the roof collapsed on top of me
[with object] cause (something) to fall down or give way:it feels as if the slightest pressure would collapse it figurativemany people tend to collapse the distinction between the two concepts
(usually as adjective collapsed) (of a lung or blood vessel) fall inwards and become flat and empty:a collapsed lung
[with object] cause (a lung or blood vessel) to collapse:he had an operation to collapse his lung
2(of a person) fall down and become unconscious as a result of illness or injury:he collapsed from loss of blood
sit or lie down as a result of exhaustion or amusement:exhausted, he collapsed on the bedthe three of them collapsed with laughter
3fail suddenly and completely:the talks collapsed last week over territorial issues
(of a price or currency) drop suddenly in value:the price of oil collapsed
4fold or be foldable into a small space: [no object]:some cots collapse down to fit into a holdall
[with object] compress a displayed part of (a spreadsheet or other electronic document):tabulation programs can be used to collapse this list in various ways
