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
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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
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Recent Examples of crumple
Diane pulled out a sheet from a stack of papers, and it was all crumpled up with the lyrics to the song.
—
Kyle Denis, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2025
Cause of crash is being investigated Videos of the accident show the carriage toppled to its side and crashed into a building on the steep and narrow street, with parts of the streetcar crumpled.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
Last month, a Chinese coast guard vessel collided with a naval destroyer while attempting to drive away a Philippine patrol ship in the South China Sea, leaving its bow crumpled and twisted.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Adam attempted to make a play on the grounder but immediately crumpled to the ground.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crumple
Kyle Denis, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2025
Cause of crash is being investigated Videos of the accident show the carriage toppled to its side and crashed into a building on the steep and narrow street, with parts of the streetcar crumpled.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
Last month, a Chinese coast guard vessel collided with a naval destroyer while attempting to drive away a Philippine patrol ship in the South China Sea, leaving its bow crumpled and twisted.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Adam attempted to make a play on the grounder but immediately crumpled to the ground.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crumple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumple
Verb
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Pooling at the wrists, scrunching at the ankles, dragging on the ground — chalk these fashion challenges up to just another day in the life of this 5-foot shopping writer.—
Jamie Allison Sanders,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
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The cast scrunched out easily, leaving curls soft and natural-looking.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Ares instead collapses the two, transporting technology from the other universe—like the light cycle, a futuristic motorcycle that’s become a franchise icon—onto real-world streets.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
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Polling data show Jones' support collapsing.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Each human cell contains about two meters of DNA tightly folded in complex 3D structures.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
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This doesn’t just happen for balls rolling down hills, but for rain that pools into puddles, ponds, and lakes, for molecules that fold into a particular configuration, and even for electrons that cascade down into a stable or quasi-stable energy state.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the two weeks that followed, the peso tumbled 8% against the dollar.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
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Easy to roll your eyes at from the opening scene and increasingly pigheaded in all of the ones that follow, Man-su starts off a long way from likable and tumbles much lower in our estimation from there.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Best Amazon Prime Day Storage & Organization Deals Keep the closets neat, the drawers organized, the spices in alphabetical order, and the bedding from getting wrinkled with these genius storage and organization hacks.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Oct. 2025
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Dokotoo Knit Turtleneck Sweater Chunky knits are typically more resistant to wrinkling, and this turtleneck is no exception.—
Genevieve Cepeda,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crumple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumple. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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