crumples

verb

present tense third-person singular of crumple
1
as in scrunches
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 collapses
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 crumples My now-husband and I were newly a couple and still working out the kinks and crumples in an evolving relationship. — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026 The man crumples to the ground while the officer turns to walk away as the other officers stand by. — Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumples
  1. scrunches
  2. collapses
  3. folds
  4. tumbles
  5. wrinkles
Verb
  • Four exercises, including the toe scrunches, to help improve balance.
    — Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
  • The clear formula is lightweight but substantial enough to create a cast that scrunches out softly, leaving hair touchable instead of stiff.
    — Malia Griggs, Glamour, 30 Sep. 2025
Definition of scrunches
Verb
  • Emmanuel Marre | Belgium | 155 min Cannes Best Screenplay winner A MAN OF HIS TIME stars ANATOMY OF A FALL’s Swann Arlaud as a Vichy civil servant whose faith in government collapses amid collaboration, bureaucracy, and moral surrender.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Single-pressing the button collapses the view to show only the arrow and distance to the next turn, while double-pressing the button expands the view to show a map with the full route across the bottom half of the display.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of collapses
Verb
  • An adjustable kickstand that folds out from one panel can support the screen array at a variety of angles.
    — Tony Hoffman, PC Magazine, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The front cupboard hatch door, meanwhile, folds down to access the interior and create another surface for work and storage.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of folds
Verb
  • From trashing bedrooms and throwing couches, the pair tumbles down stairs and has a chase across the lawn before ending up in the pool.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Front load washers are built with a horizontal drum that tumbles the clothes in each cycle.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of tumbles
Verb
  • That’s because the set is made from ribbed fabric that disguises wrinkles well and gives the set a more stylish edge.
    — Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 2 June 2026
  • There are still some lingering discrepancies, wrinkles that the team thinks other collisions between particles with sizes between protons and iron could help to iron out.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of wrinkles

Browse Nearby Words

crumpled
crumples
crumpling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crumples.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumples. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of regimen

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All