crisp

[krisp]

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.

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

/ 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

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

Other Word Forms

• crisply adverb
• crispness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of crisp¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of crisp¹

Old English, from Latin crispus curled, uneven, wrinkled

Idioms and Phrases

see burn to a cinder (crisp).

Example Sentences

Examples of UPFs include sausages, crisps, pastries, biscuits, instant soups, fizzy drinks, ice cream and supermarket bread.

Read more on BBC

On a crisp morning in California’s Mojave Desert, the skies cleared just enough for a jet to take off—and go supersonic.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The teeth behind his ash-gray lips gleamed white as a crisp new sail.

Read more on Literature

Now she could see quite easily, for the moon was only one night shy of full, and the sky was crisp and clear, an expanse of black velvet pinpricked by stars.

Read more on Literature

She was a tall, handsome woman no older than sixty, dressed in a black crepe gown with a crisp white collar and cuffs, and a veiled cap pinned on top of her head.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• crispy 
• crumbly 
• crusty 
• fresh 
• plump