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crumple

verb

  1. break down, fold, wrinkle
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Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈkɹʌmpəl/

noun

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

  1. A crease, wrinkle, or irregular fold.

verb

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

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

    He crumpled the note and threw it away.

  2. To cause to collapse.

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

  3. To become wrinkled.

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

  4. To collapse; to surrender.

    The team's defensive strategy crumpled.

    The defenders crumpled owing to exhaustion and dehydration.