crumple
to press or crush into irregular folds or into a compact mass; bend out of shape; rumple; wrinkle.
to cause to collapse or give way suddenly: That right hook to the midsection crumpled him.
to contract into wrinkles; shrink; shrivel.
to give way suddenly; collapse: The bridge crumpled under the weight of the heavy trucks.
an irregular fold or wrinkle produced by crumpling.
Origin of crumple
1Other words from crumple
- crumply, adjective
- un·crum·pling, adjective
Words Nearby crumple
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use crumple in a sentence
But people were shocked to see Rice actually throw the punch and to watch her crumple.
Ray Rice Should Have Remembered His 'Kindness' Anti-Bullying Wristband | Michael Daly | September 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe man who would face a cannon's mouth would falter before the face of a woman whom he could crumple with one hand.
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete | Gilbert ParkerThe life went out of her like the flame from a dying candle, and she seemed to shrink and crumple and to sway upon her feet.
"Persons Unknown" | Virginia TracyThey can't endure it; so much goodness breaks down their wing arches, and the glorious ones crumple together like tissue-paper.
A Girl's Student Days and After | Jeannette MarksShe will wear a lovely dress she calls a tea-gown, all soft and lacey, and she doesn't mind how much I crumple it.
Then he seemed to crumple up entirely, and, falling forward, rolled with a loud splash into the river.
The Hero of Panama | F. S. Brereton
British Dictionary definitions for crumple
/ (ˈkrʌmpəl) /
(when intr, often foll by up) to collapse or cause to collapse: his courage crumpled
(when tr, often foll by up) to crush or cause to be crushed so as to form wrinkles or creases
(intr) to shrink; shrivel
a loose crease or wrinkle
Origin of crumple
1Derived forms of crumple
- crumply, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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