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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Recent Examples of crumple
And there were few carefully staged photographs of winning grins taken at the Clifden bog as the Vimy sat with its nose crumpled into the earth.
—
David Rooney
june 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
They can get warped by humidity, smudged with sunscreen, or crumpled in the bottom of a tote.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 28 May 2025
Hohensee crumpled it up, tossed it in the trash and went to sleep.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 18 May 2025
The resulting findings include many surprises—from why there are volcanoes in Virginia to how the crust beneath New England is weirdly crumpled.
—Alexandra Witze, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crumple
David Rooney
june 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
They can get warped by humidity, smudged with sunscreen, or crumpled in the bottom of a tote.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 28 May 2025
Hohensee crumpled it up, tossed it in the trash and went to sleep.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 18 May 2025
The resulting findings include many surprises—from why there are volcanoes in Virginia to how the crust beneath New England is weirdly crumpled.
—Alexandra Witze, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crumple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumple
Verb
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Audiences scrunched under the Jay Pritzker Pavilion fringe, only to play musical chairs dodging the structure’s many (and ever-changing) leaky spots.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2025
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Simply shake, spray on damp or dry hair, and scrunch for effortlessly chic waves.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
1 May 2025
Verb
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Without a proper response from the immune system, even the most efficient organs won’t prevent the body from collapsing.—
Marcin Nowak,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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The agreement ultimately collapsed after China withdrew following Trump's tariff announcement.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Verb
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The eye cups fold down for glasses-wearers but not easily.—
Scott Gilbertson,
Wired News,
25 June 2025
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Local police folded up the banner and took it away.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
24 June 2025
Verb
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That prompted a sell-off in stocks on Friday, with the Dow tumbling more than 700 points in the session.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
15 June 2025
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In Henry King’s Jesse James (1939), Jesse and Frank, that is Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda, which is to say their stunt doubles, ride their horses over a cliff and tumble 70 feet into the Lake of the Ozarks.—
Thomas Doherty,
HollywoodReporter,
14 June 2025
Verb
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If they are wrinkled, smooth them with your hands; the wrinkles will ease out as the cubes dry.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 June 2025
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Their foreheads were pressed together, their eyes were shut, their hands clasped; her lips were ever-so-slightly pursed, his forehead was wrinkled in concentration.—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crumple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumple. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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