verb

crumple

KRUHM-puhl

verb

To crush something into creases and wrinkles.

"He crumpled the letter and threw it in the bin."

"The car's bonnet crumpled on impact."

To collapse, give way, or fall apart, often suddenly.

"Her legs seemed to crumple beneath her as she fainted."

How to Use Crumple

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo scrunch something up into wrinkles, or to suddenly collapse.

Common pairings

crumple a piece of paper crumple under pressure crumple zone

crumpled past tense, crumples plural, crumples singular

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He _____ the letter and threw it in the bin.

From Middle English crumplen, related to Old English crump ("bent, crooked") — the same root behind "crumpled" and "crumb".

rumple