Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| collassare | /kol.lasˈsa.re/ |
| crollare | /krolˈla.re/ |
| accasciarsi | /ak.kaʃˈʃar.si/ |
The term is used to describe something falling down suddenly. When discussing the act of collapsing as a noun, you may use crollo for physical structures, collasso for general or mathematical contexts or tracollo for sudden, dramatic collapses in social or economic systems.
Which one should you use?
The choice of verb depends on what is collapsing. Use crollare for physical structures such as buildings, walls or mountains. Use accasciarsi specifically to describe a person collapsing or slumping down due to weakness or exhaustion.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verbs crollare and collassare are intransitive, meaning they do not take a direct object in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
The word crollare is pronounced /krolˈla.re/. It has three syllables, with the stress on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The verb crollare may be a frequentative form of the Latin word 'corruere', suggesting an action that happens repeatedly or intensely.
- Italian uses the term crollo to describe a sudden drop in prices or stock market values, treating a financial decline as if a physical building had fallen.
- While crollare describes a building falling, it is also used colloquially to describe a person who 'collapses' from laughter or exhaustion, similar to the English 'to break down'.
Examples in context
- Il tetto sta per collassare.The roof is about to collapse.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use collassare regarding a roof.Tatoeba #5962398 by Valdast, translation #5961652 by mailohilohi
- Il ponte sta per collassare.The bridge is about to collapse.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use collassare regarding a bridge.Tatoeba #7496356 by Guybrush88, translation #6475511 by Selena777
- Questo edificio sta per crollare.This building is about to collapse.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use crollare regarding a building.Tatoeba #1607238 by Guybrush88, translation #842635 by sacredceltic
- Il ponte è crollato a causa del terremotoThe bridge collapsed due to the earthquake.
- Il progetto è andato in collassoThe project collapsed.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Matteo are looking at an old abandoned house.
- ChiaraGuarda quel muro, sembra che stia per crollare.Look at that wall, it looks like it's about to collapse.
- MatteoSì, è pericoloso, non avviciniamoci troppo.Yes, it's dangerous, let's not get too close.
- ChiaraPensi che l'intera casa possa crollare?Do you think the whole house could collapse?
- MatteoSì, è molto vecchia e instabile.Yes, it is very old and unstable.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “collapse” translations and entries collassare, crollare, accasciarsi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries accasciarsi, collassare, crollare, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
