1
as in scrunched
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in collapsed
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
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Recent Examples of crumpled
Barkov crumpled to the ice during the team’s first full preseason practice after minor contact Thursday.
—
Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
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
The fabric of his jersey, which should suggest his movement and musculature, is instead accordion-crumpled like a piece of paper.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2025
De Santis quietly asks Labaro, while watching his distinguished guest get crumpled by the elements.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Barry then crumpled the paper and threw it in a trash can.
—Alex Riggins, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2025
Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
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
The fabric of his jersey, which should suggest his movement and musculature, is instead accordion-crumpled like a piece of paper.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2025
De Santis quietly asks Labaro, while watching his distinguished guest get crumpled by the elements.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Barry then crumpled the paper and threw it in a trash can.
—Alex Riggins, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumpled
Verb
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The cast scrunched out easily, leaving curls soft and natural-looking.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Kavya tugs on my arm, her nose is scrunched up, eyebrows discombobulated.—
Navdeep Singh Dhillon,
Parents,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Smith has completely collapsed.—
Michael Salfino,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Last weekend, on this same stage at Forest Hills, singer-songwriter Lola Young collapsed during her set at All Things Go.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Every plot point is wrinkled or changed in some fundamental way.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
18 Oct. 2024
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The vinyl decals, featuring salmon crying to get beyond the first of the dams, were wrinkled, the banner itself battle-scarred in places.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
The Arizona Republic,
12 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Saturday’s start could’ve tumbled into another painful loss.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Visits to Cracker Barrel tumbled.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Those rosters from the past were mostly homegrown, with a few veterans expertly folded in.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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Army leaders say the Switchblade is one of several technologies being folded into armored units as the service adapts lessons from Ukraine and other conflicts, where drones have played an outsized role.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crumpled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumpled. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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