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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crumpled
One of the victims fled to a McDonald's restaurant where his bloodstained clothes, which were likely cut off by paramedics, were crumpled on the floor near the entrance.
—
CBS News, 7 June 2026
MacKinnon initially crumpled to the ice in pain after blocking the shot, briefly getting to one knee and clearing the puck out of the defensive zone before falling back to the ice.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Nearby, a different video shows her pink jacket crumpled on the sidewalk and a green purse.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 12 May 2026
The hardcore ankle boots are now dehydrated and crumpled.
—Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 8 May 2026
Authorities found Spungen crumpled in their hotel room's bathroom, bloodied and dead of a single stab wound to her abdomen.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagán crumpled to the ground with an injury after throwing just one pitch on Tuesday.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
According to National Geographic, as the Arabian plate began to move further under the Eurasian plate, the two plates crumpled together, creating the Zagros Mountains – an impressive stretch of peaks that still exist in Iran.
—Sarah Tamimi, CNN Money, 4 May 2026
For my upcoming spring and summer trips, I’ve been focused on pieces that stay polished no matter how long they’ve been packed, from breezy maxi dresses to one-and-done jumpsuits that won’t come out crumpled.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 2 May 2026
CBS News, 7 June 2026
MacKinnon initially crumpled to the ice in pain after blocking the shot, briefly getting to one knee and clearing the puck out of the defensive zone before falling back to the ice.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Nearby, a different video shows her pink jacket crumpled on the sidewalk and a green purse.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 12 May 2026
The hardcore ankle boots are now dehydrated and crumpled.
—Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 8 May 2026
Authorities found Spungen crumpled in their hotel room's bathroom, bloodied and dead of a single stab wound to her abdomen.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagán crumpled to the ground with an injury after throwing just one pitch on Tuesday.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
According to National Geographic, as the Arabian plate began to move further under the Eurasian plate, the two plates crumpled together, creating the Zagros Mountains – an impressive stretch of peaks that still exist in Iran.
—Sarah Tamimi, CNN Money, 4 May 2026
For my upcoming spring and summer trips, I’ve been focused on pieces that stay polished no matter how long they’ve been packed, from breezy maxi dresses to one-and-done jumpsuits that won’t come out crumpled.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 2 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumpled
Verb
-
As the players headed to their benches and the officials took their customary walks to the scorer’s table for the time out, Atkinson scrunched his face, stuck out his hands, and mockingly clapped toward Blair — who ignored the obvious taunt.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
Louis' scrunched up face got an affectionate giggle out of his dad as the two sat side-by-side at the 80th anniversary of VE Day in 2025.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On May 9, 1873—Black Friday—stocks collapsed, and fights broke out on the floor of the exchange, which was forced to close.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Like how the 1964 claims of a North Vietnamese attack in the Gulf of Tonkin collapsed.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Use ripe, juicy peaches that have a little give and are slightly wrinkled around the stem.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
-
One Amazon shopper, who wore them on both a flight and a road trip, raved that the pants never wrinkled, which is especially valuable when living out of a suitcase.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Shares tumbled on the announcement.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
17 June 2026
-
Dave & Buster's tumbled more than 15% after the restaurant and family entertainment company badly missed Wall Street's first-quarter profit targets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Sequence unraveled, and with it the onward rush, progression, the sense of one event coming after another; my understanding of cause and effect, of the chronological chopping-up of time both personal and historical—before and after, premodern and modern—all blurred, folded, unraveled out of reach.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
-
Companies tallied their emissions, governments folded those tallies into national inventories, and the rest of us took the sum on trust.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crumpled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumpled. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
