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collapse

collapse

350 4.1
A sudden failure, for example of a person or a building
  • noun
  • /kəˈlæps/
translation icon : colapso
  • The chair frame showed no signs of collapse or fatigue despite the repeated testing.
  • economic collapse
  • price collapse
  • oil price collapse

So if we're witnessing A nutrient collapse, what's causing it?

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Examples

  • With the collapse of the East block, government authority also collapsed.

  • The unexpected collapse of the old bridge left many commuters stranded.

  • Some of the results of the collapse of the oil price are political as well as economic.

    Academic text (1999)
  • I also remember from childhood the surprise collapse of the Soviet Union.

  • So there's been a huge collapse in social trust as well.

  • But we were on the brink of collapse of some of our infrastructure.

  • What scares you more, the collapse of liberal values or AI?

  • Plants and plankton rapidly died, causing the collapse of food webs worldwide.

  • Her sudden collapse during the marathon shocked everyone at the event.

  • After years of financial struggle, the company announced its collapse last week.

Synonyms

disaster
vscollapse
1.0

A sudden event that causes great damage, loss, or failure

is focused on sudden failure rather than mainly physical damage
fall
vscollapse
106 2.5

A sudden drop in amount, value, or importance

is broader and also includes physical falling or structural giving way
meltdown
vscollapse
95 5.8

A sudden total failure that causes serious damage to a system

is less extreme and can mean sudden failure without total destruction
crash
vscollapse
89 5.2

A sudden large fall in business activity or stock prices

is wider, covering sudden failure beyond financial losses or market drops
breakdown
vscollapse
79 4.4

A failure in a system or relationship that stops it working properly

is broader and covers sudden falling or failure of people, structures, and businesses
debacle
vscollapse
75 8.5

A sudden complete failure that causes public embarrassment or big loss

is more neutral and applies to sudden failures without public disgrace
downfall
vscollapse
67 5.1

A sudden loss of power or status caused by a mistake

is more general and applies to sudden failure of things, not just status loss
implosion
vscollapse
14 7.6

A sudden inward collapse of a building or container from outside pressure

is not limited to inward giving and covers other sudden failures
cave-in
vscollapse
9 7.1

A sudden collapse of the ground or a building into the space below

is broader and also applies to sudden failures outside physical ground or structures
sudden breakdown
vscollapse
3.5

An unexpected failure of a machine that stops it working

is broader, applying to people, structures, businesses, or systems

Antonyms

1.0

Getting what you want after working hard

363 3.1

Being steady and not likely to change

Compounds

1 7.9

A star or other space object falls inward because of its own gravity and becomes smaller and denser

How Severe

ruin
100 3.2
collapse
350 4.1
breakdown
7 3.5
malfunction
96 4.5

Surface Forms

collapse singular
collapses plural

Etymology

Collapse comes from the Latin collabi, which means 'to fall together' and is made of col- 'together' and labi 'to slip'. You can see the same root in the word lapse, which also means a 'slip'. So a collapse is a sudden fall or failure of a person, a building, or a system.