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
Root stationed eight fielders on the boundary at one point - but it did not deter Razaullah as he brashly swaggered at the crease with the arrogance of youth.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
When I held the iPhone Duo open, the crease was barely visible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
He frowned a crease in the center of his forehead.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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
Around her, students scribble notes and sketch corrections into their drawings: Watch the creases as the model walks.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 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
Dr Hussain says that, by targeting the dynamic wrinkles – the temporary creases we create when we make a facial expression – static lines are reduced in the long run.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2025
Officer Delinko got to his feet and smoothed the creases of his trousers.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Wizened and creased, with a hoop the size of a quarter dangling in his left ear, he relies on gestures—shrugs, grimaces, guffaws—to flesh out responses that lean terse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Seated beside Milushev, Nikolay Ivanov creased his forehead as he denied any links with Russia.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2025
Khalil’s tired eyes creased at the corners, and a smile spread slowly across his face.
From Slate ● May 2, 2025
That’s like OGs rocking Stacys with the Dickies creased up, Dickies shirt or fully suited up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025
He was only in his fifties, but pain lines creased the sides of his mouth, and the flesh of his neck hung baggy.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
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
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
The 43-year-old looks back at that scar, a smile creasing his face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2023
"Overall it's not too bad for its age - but there is visible creasing and dust to the covering and some areas require a drop of glue to make good," the seller added.
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2023
“Because...” said Thor, creasing his brow and pondering so hard that distant thunder could be heard in the mountaintops.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
