collapse to the ground

Meanings

1. 1phraseintransitive

   to fall down suddenly to the ground, usually because of injury, illness, or exhaustion.

   Grammar: No object: 'She collapsed to the ground.' You cannot say 'She collapsed him to the ground.'

   Patterns

   • collapse to the ground
   • collapse to the ground from something

   After the marathon, he collapsed to the ground and lay there breathing hard.

   The soldier collapsed to the ground from heat exhaustion.

   She felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground in the hallway.

2. 2phraseintransitive

   to fall down suddenly and lie flat on the ground, used of structures or objects.

   Grammar: Still no object; the subject is a thing, not a person: 'The tent collapsed to the ground.'

   Patterns

   • something collapses to the ground

   The old barn collapsed to the ground during the storm.

   The tower of blocks wobbled and collapsed to the ground.

Common combinations

collapse to the ground in pain

He collapsed to the ground in pain after twisting his ankle.

collapse to the ground unconscious

The player collapsed to the ground unconscious and was carried off.

collapse to the ground from exhaustion

She collapsed to the ground from exhaustion after the long hike.

Synonyms and how they differ

fall to the ground

This is more general and can describe a gentle or accidental fall; collapse suggests a sudden loss of strength or support.

crumple to the ground

Crumple often suggests folding or bending as you fall, while collapse focuses on the sudden downward movement.

Opposites

Word family

collapse verb

to fall down suddenly or fail completely.

collapse noun

a sudden fall or failure.

Commonly confused: collapse to the ground or fall down?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “collapse to the ground”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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