wrinkle

¹ American  

[ring-kuhl] / ˈrɪŋ kəl /

noun

1. a small furrow or crease in the skin, especially of the face, as from aging or frowning.

2. a temporary slight ridge or furrow on a surface, due to contraction, folding, crushing, or the like.

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verb (used with object)

wrinkled, wrinkling

1. to form wrinkles in; corrugate; crease.

   Don't wrinkle your dress.

verb (used without object)

wrinkled, wrinkling

1. to become wrinkled.

wrinkle ² American  

[ring-kuhl] / ˈrɪŋ kəl /

noun

Informal.

1. an ingenious trick or device; a clever innovation.

   a new advertising wrinkle.

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wrinkle ¹ British  

/ ˈrɪŋkəl /

noun

1. a slight ridge in the smoothness of a surface, such as a crease in the skin as a result of age

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verb

1. to make or become wrinkled, as by crumpling, creasing, or puckering

wrinkle ² British  

/ ˈrɪŋkəl /

noun

1. informal a clever or useful trick, hint, or dodge

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Other Word Forms

• wrinkleless adjective
• wrinkly adjective

Etymology

Origin of wrinkle¹

1375–1425; late Middle English (noun), back formation from wrinkled, Old English gewrinclod, past participle of gewrinclian to wind round; perhaps akin to wrick, wrench

Origin of wrinkle²

1375–1425; late Middle English, equivalent to wrinc trick ( Old English wrenc; wrench ) + -le

Example Sentences

The Australian actress, 53, plays Helen, one of the four grown children in a British family who come to the hospital bedside of their dying mother, June, played by Helen Mirren in wrinkle makeup.

From The Wall Street Journal

But then came the wrinkle that the huge increase was driven by a single contract with OpenAI, a loss-driven AI start-up that doesn’t have $300 billion and faces an unclear path in raising it.

From Barron's

I put both straps over my shoulders, careful not to wrinkle the new shirt.

From Literature

It had 14 staff reporters there, but also a new wrinkle.

From Los Angeles Times

This time, however, the U.S. managed to avoid landing in the vicinity of any soccer behemoths thanks to a wrinkle in the draw.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• crease
• crumple
• pucker
• rumple
• screw up
• scrunch