crumple
verb
- break down, fold, wrinkle
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.
- 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.
- To rumple; to press into wrinkles by crushing together.
“He crumpled the note and threw it away.”
- To cause to collapse.
“He crumpled the car's body panels when he backed into a post.”
- To become wrinkled.
“The car's body panels crumpled when they hit the post.”
- To collapse; to surrender.
“The team's defensive strategy crumpled.”
“The defenders crumpled owing to exhaustion and dehydration.”