rumple

American  

[ruhm-puhl] / ˈrʌm pəl /

verb (used with object)

rumpled, rumpling

1. to crumple or crush into wrinkles.

   to rumple a sheet of paper.

   Synonyms:

   muss, crease, wrinkle

2. to ruffle; tousle (sometimes followed byup ).

   The wind rumpled her hair.

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verb (used without object)

rumpled, rumpling

1. to become wrinkled or crumpled.

   Tissue rumples easily.

noun

1. a wrinkle or irregular fold; crease.

rumple British  

/ ˈrʌmpəl /

verb

1. to make or become wrinkled, crumpled, ruffled, or dishevelled

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noun

1. a wrinkle, fold, or crease

Other Word Forms

• rumply adjective
• unrumpled adjective

Etymology

Origin of rumple

1595–1605; < Dutch rompelen (v.), rompel (noun)

Example Sentences

With the new clothes they could not afford now rumpled and covered with grit, the bedraggled Babushkinovs and their quiet but unusually alert governess arrived in Saint Petersburg at last.

From Literature

It was muddy and rumpled and stuck all over with bits of hay.

From Literature

The noise at the door startled all who were awake, but it was only the doctor, looking pale and rumpled, as befits a man who was called to work in the middle of the night.

From Literature

Why are the beds at hotels so much more comfortable than the rumpled, lumpy things we settle for at home?

From The Wall Street Journal

In contrast, Burton was performance art — rumpled, often rude, too fidgety to sit in long policy meetings.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• derange
• dishevel