crease
Americannoun
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creases
plural
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a ridge or groove produced in anything by folding, heat, pressure, etc.; fold; furrow.
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a wrinkle, especially one on the face.
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the straight, vertical edge or line produced in the front and back of trousers, especially men's trousers, by pressing, as with a steam presser or iron.
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Ice Hockey. the marked rectangular area in front of each goal cage, into which an offensive player can skate only if that player has the puck, if the puck is already within the area, or if the goalie is absent.
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Cricket.
verb (used with object)
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creases,
present (3rd person singular)
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creased,
past participle, past
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creasing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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creases,
present (3rd person singular)
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creased,
past participle, past
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creasing
present participle
noun
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a line or mark produced by folding, pressing, or wrinkling
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a wrinkle or furrow, esp on the face
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cricket any three lines near each wicket marking positions for the bowler or batsman See also bowling crease popping crease return crease
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ice hockey the small rectangular area in front of each goal cage
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Also called: goal crease. lacrosse the circular area surrounding the goal
verb
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to make or become wrinkled or furrowed
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(tr) to graze with a bullet, causing superficial injury
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slang (often foll by up) to be or cause to be greatly amused
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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creasesimple
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creasessimple
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have creasedperfect
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has creasedperfect
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am creasingprogressive
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are creasingprogressive
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is creasingprogressive
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have been creasingperfect progressive
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has been creasingperfect progressive
Past
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creasedsimple
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had creasedperfect
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was creasingprogressive
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were creasingprogressive
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had been creasingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crease
1400–50; late Middle English creeste, crest, apparently special use of crest
Explanation
A crease is a fold, wrinkle, or line, like the crease in your perfectly ironed pants or the worried crease in your dad's forehead when he sees you heading out into the snow without a hat and scarf. A crease can be straight and sharp — think of the creases in a folded paper airplane — or something more like a soft indentation, like the crease in your blankets telling you your cat was just there. It's a verb too: "If you lie on the floor, you'll crease your ball gown!" Etymologists guess that crease comes from crest and its root, which means "to turn or bend."
Vocabulary lists containing crease
Mockingbird
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Iveliz Explains It All
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Vocabulary from Readings, Unit 5
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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.
See Examples For:
The Duo also has a nanotexture finish, which reduces glare and helps hide the crease, a detail which analysts expect will matter to consumers.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
An interventional radiology team begins by making a small incision in the crease of the leg.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Apple employed both software and hardware techniques to camouflage the crease.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The Cupertino-based company said it had reduced the visible crease in the middle of the screen -- one of the main criticisms leveled at foldables.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
A crease of annoyance wrinkled the boy’s brow.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
September carrots can look almost too virtuous at the farmers market: sturdy bunches, feathery green tops, dirt in the creases.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Because while the long hair, the mustache and the Mercedes are all gone, a broad smile still creases the old goalie’s face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
Netscher has meticulously rendered the garment’s luscious materiality—its fall, folds, creases and bunchings—yet transcended mere description to give us a shimmering vision of white and gray highlighted by splashes of red.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 2026
On my body - the creases of my arms and legs - on my face - eyes and lips.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2025
Age had battered her features so that she almost resembled a man, with sharp, shrunken eyes and prominent creases on either side of her nose.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Drolma’s team begins packing the best matsutakes into Styrofoam crates, pinching little creased pockets in the packing paper to cushion each mushroom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
I certainly stood out among the perfectly creased khaki pants and palm combs and top-buttoned flannels contrasted with my clueless bowl haircut and Ninja Turtle suspenders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
His blue patterned shirt creased around the knuckle of his thumb.
From BBC ● May 27, 2025
Khalil’s tired eyes creased at the corners, and a smile spread slowly across his face.
From Slate ● May 2, 2025
There was also a creased picture of the tennis team that she’d cut out of a Perkins yearbook.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
He prefers reading newspapers over screens, still creasing the pages into a subway fold like he was taught as a child.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
"We've calmed down," Amfo confirmed, creasing with laughter.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2024
At this point, both the kids are born, Jimmy and Rosie, and they're at the door, just creasing themselves with laughter.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2024
He began to punch in a response when the dispatcher hurried into the room with a look of deep anxiety creasing her face.
From Slate ● Nov. 26, 2022
His brow’s creasing up and then I remember: It says California School of the Arts on practically every freaking wall of that freaking place.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
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