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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crumple
The concept applies to gift bags, sturdy boxes, and tissue paper that hasn’t been crumpled beyond a little smoothing.
—
Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2025
In a post on X Friday morning, a user by the name of Starship Gazer, whose profile describes nearly half a decade of documenting Starship's development, posted an image of Booster 18 with much of the bottom portion of the vehicle crumpled like an empty soda can.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 21 Nov. 2025
They can be crumpled into a pack, then spring back with no problem.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 14 Nov. 2025
Claire Danes Crying Face, crumpled creases of concern atop a quivery chin, has been deployed in the service of romantic desolation, professional desperation and several permutations of grief, loneliness and general unraveling.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crumple
Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2025
In a post on X Friday morning, a user by the name of Starship Gazer, whose profile describes nearly half a decade of documenting Starship's development, posted an image of Booster 18 with much of the bottom portion of the vehicle crumpled like an empty soda can.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 21 Nov. 2025
They can be crumpled into a pack, then spring back with no problem.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 14 Nov. 2025
Claire Danes Crying Face, crumpled creases of concern atop a quivery chin, has been deployed in the service of romantic desolation, professional desperation and several permutations of grief, loneliness and general unraveling.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crumple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumple
Verb
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Late in the third quarter, Buzelis turned away from the basket and scrunched up his face in a grimace of disgust.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Jan. 2026
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Fatigue is just part of the deal this season with the schedule scrunched up because of the Olympics.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And after the 2008 financial crisis, a handful of institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, participated in shaping regulatory reforms aimed at strengthening the overall financial system—standing in contrast to firms that collapsed or resisted new oversight.—
Anjali Chaudhry,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Years of economic and social crisis, political repression, insecurity, and collapsing institutions forced millions of Venezuelans to leave their country and rebuild their lives abroad during Nicolás Maduro’s rule.—
Jhasua Razo,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But instead of folding, the Warriors blew open the game after Butler’s departure.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
20 Jan. 2026
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Strategy was formerly known as MicroStrategy — going public in June 1998 at $10 a share — promptly sprinting up 31-fold to around $320 before sinking fast in the wake of the dot-com bubble bursting and the revelation of dodgy revenue accounting at the analytics software company.—
Peter Cohan,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The footage shows Kim tumbling hard onto the snow and sliding across the halfpipe.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Seagate, fresh off a 14% jump, tumbled about 8% in Wednesday’s trading.—
Darla Mercado, CFP®,Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These are more prone to wrinkling than other weaves, so plan to remove them promptly from the dryer after washing (or iron them) if wrinkles bother you.—
Mary Grace Granados
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Use this setting for any clothing that specifies permanent press on the care tag, as well as with more delicate fabrics that tend to wrinkle.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crumple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumple. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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