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colapsar

to collapse

verb koh-lahp-SAHR Rare
Body & Health Health & Illness

Origin: From Latin collapsus, past participle of collabi (to fall down).

Also means

to bring to a standstill

Usage Note

Colapsar can be intransitive (el edificio colapsó = the building collapsed) or transitive (la manifestación colapsó el tráfico = the demonstration brought traffic to a standstill). The intransitive sense spread in modern usage under the influence of English 'collapse'. The related noun is colapso (collapse, standstill).

Examples

"El tráfico colapsó por el accidente en la autopista."

Natural Translation

Traffic came to a standstill because of the motorway accident.

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