crumple
Americanverb (used with object)
-
crumples,
present (3rd person singular)
-
crumpled,
past participle, past
-
crumpling
present participle
-
to press or crush into irregular folds or into a compact mass; bend out of shape; rumple; wrinkle.
-
to cause to collapse or give way suddenly.
That right hook to the midsection crumpled him.
verb (used without object)
-
crumples,
present (3rd person singular)
-
crumpled,
past participle, past
-
crumpling
present participle
-
to contract into wrinkles; shrink; shrivel.
-
to give way suddenly; collapse.
The bridge crumpled under the weight of the heavy trucks.
noun
verb
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to collapse or cause to collapse
his courage crumpled
-
to crush or cause to be crushed so as to form wrinkles or creases
-
(intr) to shrink; shrivel
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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crumplesimple
-
crumplessimple
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have crumpledperfect
-
has crumpledperfect
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am crumplingprogressive
-
are crumplingprogressive
-
is crumplingprogressive
-
have been crumplingperfect progressive
-
has been crumplingperfect progressive
Past
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crumpledsimple
-
had crumpledperfect
-
was crumplingprogressive
-
were crumplingprogressive
-
had been crumplingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crumple
1400–50; late Middle English; variant of crimple
Explanation
Crumple is a verb that means to become wrinkled or creased. Your face might crumple over time as you age, or you might crumple a piece of paper before tossing it in the trash. Crumple comes from the Old English word crump meaning "bent, crooked," and it can describe something that has buckled or collapsed. If you're jumping up and down on a cardboard box, it'll eventually crumple under your weight and fold in on itself. Make sure you don't confuse crumple with the similar looking crumble, which means to break apart into small fragments. If you crumple something, it stays in one piece — it's just wrinkled or folded.
Vocabulary lists containing crumple
Number the Stars
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Purple Hibiscus
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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:
They were at work when the quakes struck, causing high-rise apartment buildings, shopping centers and schools to crumple.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
To wrap a basketball, for example, you’d need to crumple the paper in a horrible mess or cut many pieces and tape them together with unsightly overlaps.
From Slate ● Jan. 21, 2026
His adversaries think he’ll crumple like yesterday’s broadsheet when they turn him away, and are perturbed to realize he’s more like the human equivalent of tissue hanging onto the heel of a shoe.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2025
Joseph executed her role to perfection as she took all the pressure off 33-year-old Dottin, but when she departed with 41 runs still needed, there was some concern that West Indies could crumple.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2024
Grandpop’s face seemed to crumple as he stepped haltingly back into the inside-outside room.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
If people and institutions and businesses and government stand up to him, he crumples.
From Slate ● Jan. 23, 2026
Bynum keeps the camera on her as Jessie crumples her face in her hands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025
Mesut's face crumples into tears and he turns away to compose himself.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2023
The situation is akin to a car that crumples in a crash: the vehicle absorbs the impact to protect passengers, but it is totaled.
From Scientific American ● Feb. 22, 2023
The greyhound lets go of Fabian, who crumples to the ground, and the dog is off running, first trying to catch the kids, and then alongside them, and then out in front.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
I didn’t feel any affinity with the humanoid that smashed Bolt’s 100-meter record, but found the robot weightlifter that crumpled under a 15kg barbell and staggered into a table very relatable.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
Buildings and bridges crumpled like soggy soda crackers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
In Manizales, an AFP journalist saw many damaged buildings, including the crumpled tower of the city's beloved neo-Gothic cathedral.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
The look on Joe’s face when we first meet him says a lot about his crumpled ambitions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
“Thanks,” I say as Emma hands over a wad of crumpled bills.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Videos posted to social media and verified by AFP on Monday showed the catastrophic collapse of a shopping centre in General Santos, and an unoccupied school building crumpling.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
But first, she sobs, crumpling into Samuel’s arms while he holds her close.
From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2024
“I want people to know that we’re just normal people,” Ms. Broadbent, her face crumpling as she fought through tears, told Mr. Johnson.
From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
I replied, crumpling my script of “Pygmalion,” which I’d been memorizing for my scene study class.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2023
I ball my hand into an angry fist, crumpling the note with it.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
