Collapse

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /kəˈlæps/

Definitions

1. A sudden failure or breakdown causing something to fall down, cave in, or lose strength completely
2. To fall down or cave in abruptly due to loss of support or strength ; a rapid failure of a structure, system, or organization causing it to break apart ; a sudden decrease or breakdown in function or stability
3. To suddenly give way physically, often resulting in a physical pile-up or cave-in ; an immediate malfunction or destruction of a large system or framework ; a quick and complete loss of power or order within a complex entity

Etymology: "Collapse" comes from Latin "collāpsus," the past participle of "collābor," meaning "to fall together" or "to slip down." The prefix "com-" (here shortened to "col-" before the consonant "l") means "together" or "with," and "lābor" means "to slip or glide." So the root image is of things sliding and sinking into one another until they give way. The Latin verb "lābor" is also the source of "lapse," a word that shares the same sense of gradual slipping. "Collapse" keeps that sense of a structure giving way, but English applied it to a sudden, complete failure: a building, a market, or a person's strength. The word's core idea has stayed remarkably steady across its long history, moving from the physical act of falling in on itself to the broader sense of any sudden breakdown.

Synonyms: fall, crumble, break down, cave in, collapse

Antonyms: rise, stand, ascend, expand, flourish