Synonyms of crumple

crumple

verb

ˈkrəm-pəl 

1

as in to scrunch

to create (as by crushing) an irregular mass of creases in

crumpled the piece of paper and angrily threw it in the wastebasket

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scrunch
• fold
• wrinkle
• crinkle
• rumple
• furrow
• crease
• ripple
• pucker
• crisp
• ruffle
• knit
• crimp
• corrugate
• pleat
• ruck
• muss (up)
• contract
• mess (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• flatten
• smooth
• straighten
• iron out
• press
• even
• iron
• unfold
• smoothen
• uncrumple
• tidy
• neaten

2

as in to collapse

to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure

the box crumpled when I accidentally dropped a brick on it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• collapse
• tumble
• go
• buckle
• crumble
• shatter
• melt
• die
• give
• yield
• implode
• go out
• flatten
• give way
• cave (in)
• founder
• fail
• crash
• burst
• smash
• break
• deflate
• snap
• crack
• pop
• split
• stall
• give out
• break down
• splinter
• melt down
• conk (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rise
• swell
• inflate

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of crumple

At the beginning of a normal Friday practice in Week 11, Bowman crumpled to the grass at the Falcons’ practice facility. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026

But Mulderrig’s red Harley-Davidson Sportster slammed into the rear passenger side of Oates’ Cadillac, crumpling the back corner and twisting the wheel out of shape. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026

In a large sculpture, aluminum facsimile pages are crumpled on the floor, reflecting the way spacefaring nations have more or less ignored it. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Inflation is part of the show, as across the valley floor, enormous envelopes lie crumpled in fields before fans slowly give them shape—then the burners start, sending pulses of orange through the fabric. — Scott Campbell, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026