corrugate

American  

[kawr-uh-geyt, kor-, kawr-uh-git, -geyt, kor-] / ˈkɔr əˌgeɪt, ˈkɒr-, ˈkɔr ə gɪt, -ˌgeɪt, ˈkɒr- /

verb (used with object)

corrugated, corrugating

1. to draw or bend into folds or alternate furrows and ridges.

2. to wrinkle, as the skin or face.

3. Western U.S. to make irrigation ditches in (a field).

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verb (used without object)

corrugated, corrugating

1. to become corrugated; undergo corrugation.

adjective

1. corrugated; wrinkled; furrowed.

corrugate British  

verb

1. (usually tr) to fold or be folded into alternate furrows and ridges

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adjective

1. folded into furrows and ridges; wrinkled

Other Word Forms

• corrugated adjective
• corrugation noun
• corrugator noun

Etymology

Origin of corrugate

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin corrūgātus, past participle of corrūgāre, equivalent to cor- “with, together” + rūg(āre) “to wrinkle” + -ātus past participle suffix; cor-, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, pulp mill closures have left box makers more reliant than ever on old corrugated containers.

From The Wall Street Journal

The O’Smach building in which they were held was surrounded by high corrugated iron walls topped with barbed wire.

From The Wall Street Journal

This year alone, the U.S. has shed roughly 10% of its capacity to produce containerboard, the thick paper used to make corrugated boxes.

From The Wall Street Journal

In early fall, Ben Carter checked a camera positioned to capture the goings-on in a corrugated metal tunnel installed beneath a breathtaking stretch of the 395 north of the town of Bridgeport.

From Los Angeles Times

Gehry contributed studios and additional structures that reflect the neighborhood’s industrial roots: corrugated metal siding, simple boxlike volumes and subtle geometric twists.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crease
• crumple
• pucker
• rumple
• screw up
• scrunch