crisp

American  

[krisp] / krɪsp /

adjective

crisper, crispest

1. (especially of food) hard but easily breakable; brittle.

   crisp toast.

2. (especially of food) firm and fresh; not soft or wilted.

   a crisp leaf of lettuce.

3. brisk; sharp; clear; decided.

   a crisp reply.

4. lively; pithy; sparkling.

   crisp repartee.

5. clean-cut, neat, and well-pressed; well-groomed.

6. invigorating; bracing.

   crisp air.

   Synonyms:

   nippy, fresh, brisk

7. crinkled, wrinkled, or rippled, as skin or water.

8. in small, stiff, or firm curls; curly.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become crisp.

2. to curl.

noun

1. Chiefly British. potato chip.

2. Cooking. a dessert of fruit, as apples or apricots, baked with a crunchy mixture, usually of breadcrumbs, chopped nutmeats, butter, and brown sugar.

crisp British  

/ krɪsp /

adjective

1. dry and brittle

2. fresh and firm

   crisp lettuce

3. invigorating or bracing

   a crisp breeze

4. clear; sharp

   crisp reasoning

5. lively or stimulating

   crisp conversation

6. clean and orderly; neat

   a crisp appearance

7. concise and pithy; terse

   a crisp reply

8. wrinkled or curly

   crisp hair

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verb

1. to make or become crisp

noun

1. a very thin slice of potato fried and eaten cold as a snack

2. something that is crisp

crisp Idioms  

1. see burn to a cinder (crisp).

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Other Word Forms

• crisply adverb
• crispness noun

Etymology

Origin of crisp

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English, from Latin crispus “curled”

Explanation

Something that's crisp is thin, dry, and breakable. Unless they're stale, most crackers are crisp. Gingersnaps are crisp, and so is toast — in fact, crisp often describes food, although crunchy snow and dry, brown leaves are also crisp. To crisp something is to cook or dry it until it's brittle, and when a voice is crisp, it's abrupt and no-nonsense. A crisp fall morning is fresh and cold. In Old English, crisp meant "curly," from the Latin crispus, "curled." The "brittle" definition is probably imitative, the word sounding like its meaning.

Example Sentences

AleSmith Brewing Co. used it in its sold-out Re:Beer, “a crisp, dry-hopped lager.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

But what about when it rains - isn't his crisp suit going to get wet?

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Under the crisp blue skies, one of the protesters, Drew Fausett, told The Times in a phone interview that he is a registered Republican in the decidedly red state.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

For hours on a crisp, blue-sky day, kite flyers mingled with sign-wavers, sharing space on the National Mall as they pursued their dueling missions.

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026

Gradually they fell out of formation; instead of marching in a crisp line with lifted knees and swinging arms, they bounded along, sniffing and leaping and tumbling over one another.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• crispy
• crumbly
• crusty
• fresh
• plump