crumple

From Middle English crumplen, cromplen, frequentative of Middle English crumpen (“to curl up, crump”), from Old English crump (“bent, crooked”). Equivalent to crump +‎ -le.

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɹʌmpəl/

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• Rhymes: -ʌmpəl

crumple (plural crumples)

1. A crease, wrinkle, or irregular fold.

crumple (third-person singular simple present crumples, present participle crumpling, simple past and past participle crumpled)

1. (transitive) To rumple; to press into wrinkles by crushing together.

   He crumpled the note and threw it away.

2. (transitive) To cause to collapse.

   He crumpled the car's body panels when he backed into a post.

3. (intransitive) To become wrinkled.

   The car's body panels crumpled when they hit the post.

4. (intransitive, figurative) To collapse; to surrender.

   Synonyms: buckle; cave; cave in; fold

   Coordinate term: crumble

   The team's defensive strategy crumpled.

   The defenders crumpled owing to exhaustion and dehydration.

   • 2017 June 3, Daniel Taylor, “Real Madrid win Champions League as Cristiano Ronaldo double defeats Juv”, in The Guardian (London)‎:

     Yes, Juve were unfortunate, in the extreme, with the deflected goal from Casemiro that gave Madrid a 2-1 lead just after the hour. From that point onwards, however, it was staggering to see a team renowned for defensive structure crumple this way.

• crumple up

• crumple zone

• crumpet

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “crumple”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

• clumper