rhizoverbBeta
DictionarycrumpleCrushing into wrinkles
verb / noun

crumple

KRUM-pul/ˈkrʌmpl/

To collapse into a crushed or folded shape.

The paper crumples as the man squeezes it between both hands.

An older man squeezes a blank sheet of paper between both hands, visibly crushing it into an irregular mass of sharp wrinkles and folds.
Etymology
crumpMiddle Englishcurl up
+leEnglishrepeated action

“Curl up” combines with an ending suggesting repeated action: crumpling produces many irregular folds or wrinkles rather than a single bend.

In context

LibriVox Audiobooks294:00
… a rifle drop and 6 ft of khaki crumple up.
Everyman at War. Sixty Personal Narratives of the War by Charles B. Purdom Part 1/3 | Audio Book

More examples

  • The car's hood crumpled when it struck the pole.
  • His knees give way, and he crumples to the floor.
  • She smooths out a crumple in the wrapping paper.

Forms

crumple · crumples · crumpled · crumpling

Similar words

crush
Emphasizes pressure that damages something or forces it inward.
wrinkle
Means forming small creases, without necessarily collapsing the whole object.
collapse
Emphasizes falling down or inward, not necessarily becoming wrinkled.