crimp

1 [krimp]
verb (used with object)
1.
to press into small regular folds; make wavy.
2.
to curl (hair), especially with the use of a curling iron.
3.
to press or draw together, as the ends of something.
4.
to check, restrain, or inhibit; hinder: Production was crimped by a shortage of workers.
5.
Cookery.
a.
to pinch and press down the edges of (a pie crust), especially to seal together the top and bottom layers of pastry.
b.
to gash (the flesh of a live fish or of one just killed) with a knife to make more crisp when cooked.
6.
to produce a corrugated surface in; corrugate, as sheet metal, cardboard, etc.
7.
to bend (leather) into shape.
8.
Metalworking.
a.
to bend the edges of (skelp) before forming into a tube.
b.
to fold the edges of (sheet metal) to make a lock seam.
noun
9.
the act of crimping.
10.
a crimped condition or form.
11.
Usually, crimps. waves or curls, especially in hair that has been crimped or that displays a crimped pattern.
12.
the waviness of wool fibers as naturally grown on sheep.
13.
the waviness imparted to natural or synthetic fibers by weaving, knitting, plaiting, or other processes.
14.
a crease formed in sheet metal or plate metal to make the material less flexible or for fastening purposes.
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to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
to spend time idly; loaf.
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Idioms
15.
put a crimp in, to interfere with; hinder: His broken leg put a crimp in their vacation plans.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English crympen, Old English gecrympan to curl, derivative of crump crooked

Related forms
crimp·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged

crimp

2 [krimp]
noun
1.
a person engaged in enlisting sailors, soldiers, etc., by persuasion, swindling, or coercion.
verb (used with object)
2.
to enlist (sailors, soldiers, etc.) by such means.
Origin:
1630–40; special use of crimp1

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To crimp
Collins
World English Dictionary
crimp1 (krɪmp) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb
1.  to fold or press into ridges
2.  to fold and pinch together (something, such as the edges of two pieces of metal)
3.  to curl or wave (the hair) tightly, esp with curling tongs
4.  to decorate (the edge of pastry) by pinching with the fingers to give a fluted effect
5.  to gash (fish or meat) with a knife to make the flesh firmer and crisper when cooked
6.  to bend or mould (leather) into shape, as for shoes
7.  metallurgy to bend the edges of (a metal plate) before forming into a cylinder
8.  informal chiefly (US) to hinder
 
—n
9.  the act or result of folding or pressing together or into ridges
10.  a tight wave or curl in the hair
11.  a crease or fold in a metal sheet
12.  the natural wave of wool fibres
 
[Old English crympan; related to crump bent, Old Norse kreppa to contract, Old High German crumpf, Old Swedish crumb crooked; see cramp1]
 
'crimper1
 
—n
 
'crimpy1
 
—adj

crimp2 (krɪmp) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  (formerly) a person who swindled or pressganged men into naval or military service
 
—vb
2.  to recruit by coercion or under false pretences
 
[C17: of unknown origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

crimp
1638; O.E. had gecrympan "to crimp, curl," but the modern word is probably from M.Du. or L.Ger. crimpen/krimpen "to shrink, crimp." To put a crimp in (something) is 1896, U.S. slang.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Fold overhang under and press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively.
Fold overhang underneath, then crimp decoratively and brush top crust with milk.
Fold the overhang under the bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it, and
  crimp the edge decoratively.
Skimping on investment in infrastructure, education and health will crimp
  future growth.
Related Words
cramp
crease
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