- (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.
- (n.) A sudden and complete failure; an utter failure of any kind; a breakdown.
- (n.) A falling together suddenly, as of the sides of a hollow vessel.
- (v.i.) To fail suddenly and completely, like something hollow when subject to too much pressure; to undergo a collapse; as, Maximilian's government collapsed soon after the French army left Mexico; many financial projects collapse after attaining some success and importance.
- (n.) Extreme depression or sudden failing of all the vital powers, as the result of disease, injury or nervous disturbance.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). collapse. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/collapse/definitions/1988950 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "collapse" http://smartdefine.org/collapse/definitions/1988950 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, collapse, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/collapse/definitions/1988950>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "collapse" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/collapse/definitions/1988950> |