crisp

American  

[krisp] / krɪsp /

adjective

crisper, comparative crispest superlative

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)

crisps, present (3rd person singular) crisped, past participle, past crisping present participle

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

Derived Forms

• crispness
  noun
• crisply
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• crisper
  comparative
• crispest
  superlative

Participles

• crisping
  present
• crisped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• crisp
  simple
• crisps
  simple
• have crisped
  perfect
• has crisped
  perfect
• am crisping
  progressive
• are crisping
  progressive
• is crisping
  progressive
• have been crisping
  perfect progressive
• has been crisping
  perfect progressive

Past

• crisped
  simple
• had crisped
  perfect
• was crisping
  progressive
• were crisping
  progressive
• had been crisping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will crisp
  simple
• will have crisped
  perfect
• will be crisping
  progressive
• will have been crisping
  perfect progressive

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

You can hear it in the way she pronounces tortang talong or yuzu kosho crisp.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026

A wide river of cropped hair, crisp T-shirts, and adrenaline stretching almost 500 feet to Herndon, where they’re held back by an invisible dam about to burst.

From Slate • Jun. 24, 2026

Orr, who speaks with a crisp posh accent and grew up in Belgium, says he went to lunch recently in London with a top lawyer who quizzed him about Iran, Ukraine and Trump.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026

As it turns out, even the most committed skeptic can be won over by a plate of greasy, crisp hash browns, a perfectly smoked brisket or a side of ranch.

From Salon • Jun. 17, 2026

Now the blue-black cold feels crisp and clean, soothing after the smoke.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

Related Words

• crispy
• crumbly
• crusty
• fresh
• plump