crumple

1 of 2

verb

crum·​ple ˈkrəm-pəl How to pronounce crumple (audio)
crumpled; crumpling ˈkrəm-p(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce crumple (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to press, bend, or crush out of shape : rumple
2
: to cause to collapse

intransitive verb

1
: to become crumpled
2

crumple

2 of 2

noun

: a wrinkle or crease made by crumpling
crumply adjective

Examples of crumple in a Sentence

Verb She crumpled the piece of paper into a ball and tossed it into the garbage can. The car's fender was crumpled in the accident. At the sight of blood, he crumpled to the floor.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Curry, while attempting to go for an offensive rebound and keep a loose ball alive, landed on the foot of Philadelphia center Paul Reed and crumpled to the court, unable to get on his feet to run back on defense. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2024 Her carte blanche curation begins with what looks like a blank canvas crumpled into a sculpture. Amy Verner, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2024 Tahseen crumpled to the pavement first, then Hisham. Rozina Ali, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Ma wears his white sneakers and crumpled leather jacket as badges of down-to-earth honor and does not hesitate to unload his monstrous punching power at 10-minute intervals. Patrick Frater, Variety, 22 Feb. 2024 Not to mention Tesla’s recent past of releasing misleading videos would make any wise consumer pause, but even in its own video the truck seems to shatter rather than crumple in a head-on collision. Erin Marquis / Jalopnik, Quartz, 20 Feb. 2024 That’s when his gun fired, and Hutchins crumpled to the wooden floor. Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 Monster trucks tear through doors, hoods — El Toro Loco’s hood crumpled and tore off mid-competition. Paul McAdory, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024 Totes and the takeout bags—the bottom-tier sacs that hold our leftovers, uncapped pens, and crumpled up receipts—are the real heroes of the day. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 31 Jan. 2024
Noun
Unlike the Earth, our celestial companion lacks plate tectonics, so its brittle crust crumples into unstable ridges called thrust faults to accommodate its dwindling volume. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024 Each card makes the fire burn a little brighter, a burst of light and memory as the paper singes and crumples. Time, 12 July 2023 In the Koroyd zones of the helmet, tiny tubes crumple upon impact to disperse and absorb energy. Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2023 The crumple of a man unfolding a newspaper, and a pencil scribbling the answers to a crossword puzzle. Andy Meek, BGR, 20 May 2022 Along the Gulf Coast, this is largely due to the extraction of oil and water, which makes the ground crumple like an empty plastic bottle. Matt Simon, Wired, 24 Feb. 2022 The man was outside, on a mobile, his voice dipping in and out amid the ambient scratch and crumple of the elements. Colin Barrett, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2021 Then came Osaka, a winner of the U.S. and Australian opens, acknowledging that athletes can publicly share vulnerability and truths about the types of pressure that would cause most to crumple. San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Aug. 2021 The frenetic music in the background, the melodramatic slaps, Sarah Jane’s slow crumple to the asphalt. New York Times, 23 Feb. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crumple.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English crumplen, frequentative of Middle English crumpen

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crumple was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near crumple

Cite this Entry

“Crumple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crumple. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crumple

verb
crum·​ple
ˈkrəm-pəl
crumpled; crumpling
-p(ə-)liŋ
1
: to press, bend, or crush out of shape
2
: to become crumpled
3

More from Merriam-Webster on crumple

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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