crimp

1 of 4

verb (1)

crimped; crimping; crimps

transitive verb

1
: to cause to become wavy, bent, or pinched: such as
a
: to form (leather) into a desired shape
b
: to give (synthetic fibers) a curl or wave like that of natural fibers
c
: to pinch or press together (something, such as the margins of a pie crust) in order to seal
2
: to be an inhibiting or restraining influence on : cramp
sales had been crimped by credit controlsTime
crimper noun

crimp

2 of 4

noun (1)

1
: something produced by or as if by crimping: such as
a
: a section of hair artificially waved or curled
b
: a succession of waves (as in wool fiber)
c
: a bend or crease formed in something
2
: something that cramps or inhibits : restraint, curb

crimp

3 of 4

noun (2)

: a person who entraps or forces men into shipping as sailors or into enlisting in an army or navy

crimp

4 of 4

verb (2)

crimped; crimping; crimps

transitive verb

: to trap into military or sea service : impress

Examples of crimp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Given that the company had been hoping (pdf) to increase its 170 billion seat-miles (one seat flown one mile, occupied or not) by 5%, that’s a big crimp. Melvin Backman, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024 The owners of Mansion Society in Hawthorne recounted the incident — which put a serious crimp in their ability to serve their regular customers on a busy holiday — in an Instagram post. Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024 Roll out too thin of a skin or pinch an imperfect crimp and the broth will leak through. Clarissa Wei, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023 If they weren’t anchored by some kind of crimp or curl, the base was bone-straight, preferably with a deep side part that swooped across the forehead to create curved bangs. Jihan Forbes, Allure, 1 Aug. 2023 The texture looked as if someone added several hundred small crimps to the length of her hair. Gabi Thorne, Allure, 6 July 2023 Massive structural changes in the nature of TV and movie production, and the Writers Guild of America’s successful campaign to wipe out packaging fees has also put a crimp on agency bottom lines. Joe Otterson, Variety, 27 Sep. 2021 For example, with a hydraulic crimping tool that crimps big industrial electrical lugs, the user may want to retrieve all the information to determine whether those crimps were performed correctly. IEEE Spectrum, 6 Aug. 2021 Slide the crimp ring onto each pipe and insert the barb fitting. Merle Henkenius, Popular Mechanics, 25 June 2021
Verb
It's acted in concert with European allies, which have also imposed about a dozen sanctions packages in a complementary bid to punish Putin and crimp his forces' ability to wage war. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 24 Feb. 2024 Most people end up crimping their fluency to get those AI apps to do what is requested. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 This shift would curtail trade, limit India’s development, and crimp middle powers, including important U.S. allies. Andrew S. Erickson, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2024 Finally, just fold over one side of the dough circle to encase the filling, then use a fork to crimp and seal the edges. Jessica B. Harris, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2023 Related article Volkswagen is losing the electric car race to Tesla and China Slowing economic growth in China, until recently Germany’s second-biggest export market, has crimped demand for goods, and fundamental shifts in the Chinese economy mean that demand may not return. Hanna Ziady, CNN, 10 Feb. 2024 Barring last-minute changes, automakers Stellantis and General Motors are not likely to show up in the Big Game — according to two people familiar with the matter — crimped, perhaps, by last year’s autoworkers strike. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Feb. 2024 Form and par-bake the crust: Fit, form, and crimp the pie dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2023 Trim and crimp crust, then bake: Trim Piecrust, leaving about 1 inch around edges; reserve dough scraps. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crimp.' 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 (1)

Dutch or Low German krimpen to shrivel; akin to Middle Dutch crampe hook, cramp

Noun (2)

perhaps from crimp entry 1

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1712, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1718, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1789, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crimp was in 1712

Dictionary Entries Near crimp

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

crimp

1 of 2 verb
1
: to make wavy or bent
2
: to pinch or press together
crimp the edges of a pie crust

crimp

2 of 2 noun
1
: something produced by or as if by crimping
2
: something that holds back

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