crinkle
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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to wrinkle; crimple; ripple.
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to make slight, sharp sounds; rustle.
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to turn or wind in many little bends and twists.
noun
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a wrinkle or ripple.
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a crinkling sound.
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a turn or twist.
verb
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to form or cause to form wrinkles, twists, or folds
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to make or cause to make a rustling noise
noun
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a wrinkle, twist, or fold
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a rustling noise
Etymology
Origin of crinkle
1350–1400; Middle English crinklen; akin to Old English crincan to bend, yield, Dutch krinkelen to crinkle; cringle, cringe, crank 1, -le
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By 8:45 a.m., the clouds cleared, the sun came out, and the grass in Nielson’s fist began to crinkle and snap.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2025
Remi is skittish, but food-motivated, so it may be a good idea to crinkle treats in her direction.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 14, 2023
His voice is backed by light bass plucks, piano chords in the key of C and the crinkle of thousands of tiny plastic wrappers being peeled back.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2022
Macfarlane, a seasoned lead of a dozen-plus straight Hallmark holiday romances including “Sense, Sensibility and Snowmen” and “A Shoe Addict’s Christmas,” is skilled at a Labradoresque eyebrow crinkle that could make anyone swoon.
From New York Times • Sep. 29, 2022
His face was red and his eyebrows pointed toward each other, making a wrinkly crinkle in his forehead.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
