1
as in scrunching
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 collapsing
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 crumpling
Moses Moody scored 23 points before crumpling to the floor with an apparently serious left knee injury late in overtime as the Golden State Warriors beat Dallas 137-131 on Monday night, extending the Mavericks' home losing streak to 12 games, their longest in 32 years.
—
CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
Late on, with the game already won, James Garner and substitute Merlin Rohl chased Enzo Fernandez, sending him crumpling to the turf.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
The Material steak knives arrived sharp, slicing through a piece of paper rather than crumpling its edge.
—Emily Johnson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Mar. 2026
Kamau fading, then lunging, then crumpling to the pavement at the line.
—Kevin Sintumuang, Outside, 11 Mar. 2026
The question is whether the world can take that long of a shock without crumpling beneath the weight of rising inflation and staggering growth.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2026
Singh’s truck blocked both lanes of the northbound Turnpike, leading the Chrysler Town & Country minivan the three friends were riding in to slam into the semi’s 18-wheeler trailer, crumpling underneath it.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
Late on, with the game already won, James Garner and substitute Merlin Rohl chased Enzo Fernandez, sending him crumpling to the turf.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
The Material steak knives arrived sharp, slicing through a piece of paper rather than crumpling its edge.
—Emily Johnson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Mar. 2026
Kamau fading, then lunging, then crumpling to the pavement at the line.
—Kevin Sintumuang, Outside, 11 Mar. 2026
The question is whether the world can take that long of a shock without crumpling beneath the weight of rising inflation and staggering growth.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2026
Singh’s truck blocked both lanes of the northbound Turnpike, leading the Chrysler Town & Country minivan the three friends were riding in to slam into the semi’s 18-wheeler trailer, crumpling underneath it.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumpling
Verb
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In the meantime, Atomi encourages people to try the supine core and toe-scrunching exercises at home.—
Lindsey Leake,
NBC news,
29 Apr. 2026
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He could be seen scrunching his face in anticipation.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
27 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The dread moving through professional offices right now is the sound of that assumption collapsing.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
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Badham had barely escaped another collapsing production, an early version of The Wiz starring Diana Ross, when producer Robert Stigwood suddenly called him in to take over what was then still called Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night, based on Nik Cohn’s famous New York magazine article.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2026
Verb
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In 1980 and ’81, Ghirri was lured to Amsterdam, invited by the Polaroid company to experiment with its 20×24 Land Camera, a monstrous version of the then-ubiquitous SX-70 folding model.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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That’s because, unlike most folding smartphones, this one seems designed to look like a regular tablet when it’s opened.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The team spun them in rotors filled with dirt and rock to mimic falling down slopes and tumbling through sediment-laden floods.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
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Protect Other Bathroom Items In small bathrooms, your entire makeup stash might be an inch away from tumbling into the toilet.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Some washers also use a shorter cycle to reduce the likelihood of wrinkling.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
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Nothing kills an outfit faster than a rigid denim waistband digging into your sides or linen trousers wrinkling at the first sign of sitting.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crumpling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumpling. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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