collapse

col‧lapse 1 S3 AC / kəlæps / 动词

1 structure [不及物动词] if a building, wall etc collapses, it falls down suddenly, usually because it is weak or damaged :

Uncle Ted’s chair collapsed under his weight.

The roof had collapsed long ago.

2 illness/injury [不及物动词] to suddenly fall down or become unconscious because you are ill or weak :

He collapsed with a heart attack while he was dancing.

Marion’s legs collapsed under her.

3 fail [不及物动词] if a system, idea, or organization collapses, it suddenly fails or becomes too weak to continue :

The luxury car market has collapsed.

I thought that without me the whole project would collapse.

4 prices [不及物动词] if prices, levels etc collapse, they suddenly become much lower :

There were fears that property prices would collapse.

5 sit/lie [不及物动词] to suddenly sit down, especially because you are very tired or want to relax :

I was so exhausted when I got home, I just collapsed on the sofa.

6 fold something smaller [不及物和及物动词] if a piece of furniture or equipment collapses, or if you collapse it, you can fold it so that it becomes smaller → collapsible :

The legs on our card table collapse so we can store it in the closet.

7 medical [不及物动词] if a lung or a blood vessel collapses, it suddenly becomes flat, so that it no longer has any air or blood in it

THESAURUS

fall ( also fall over , fall down ) to suddenly go down onto the floor when standing, walking, or running : She fell on the stairs and broke her ankle. | Children are always falling over.

trip on/over something to fall or almost fall when you hit your foot against something : Someone might trip over those toys. | I tripped on a piece of wood.

slip to fall or almost fall when you are walking on a wet or very smooth surface : She slipped and hurt her ankle. | I was scared I would slip on the highly polished floor.

stumble to almost fall when you put your foot down in an awkward way : He stumbled and almost fell. | One of our porters stumbled on the rough ground.

collapse to fall suddenly and heavily to the ground, especially when you become unconscious : One of the runners collapsed halfway through the race.

lose your balance to become unsteady so that you start to fall over : She lost her balance on the first step and fell down the stairs. | Have something to hold onto, in case you lose your balance.

fall flat on your face to fall forwards so you are lying on your front on the ground : She fell flat on her face getting out of the car.