crumple

1 of 2

verb

crum·​ple ˈkrəm-pəl 

crumpled; crumpling ˈkrəm-p(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to press, bend, or crush out of shape : rumple

2

: to cause to collapse

intransitive verb

1

: to become crumpled

2

: collapse

crumple

2 of 2

noun

: a wrinkle or crease made by crumpling

crumply

ˈkrəm-p(ə-)lē 

adjective

Synonyms

Verb

• crinkle
• rumple
• scrunch
• wrinkle

Examples of crumple in a Sentence

Verb

She crumpled the piece of paper into a ball and tossed it into the garbage can.

The car's fender was crumpled in the accident.

At the sight of blood, he crumpled to the floor.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Photos from the scene showed the maroon car crumpled. —David Matthews, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2025

Something similar might be happening in Tibet today as the tectonic plate carrying India rams into that of Asia and crumples the crust against the Tibetan plateau. —Alexandra Witze, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2025

Noun

The fondant-smooth top began to wrinkle and crumple. —Carrie Arnold, Quanta Magazine, 21 Apr. 2025

His face, so often calm and ready, crumples into despair. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English crumplen, frequentative of Middle English crumpen

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing crumple

• crumple zone
• face crumple

Kids Definition

crumple

verb

crum·​ple

ˈkrəm-pəl

crumpled; crumpling

-p(ə-)liŋ

1

: to press, bend, or crush out of shape

2

: to become crumpled

3

: collapse entry 1 sense 1