Verb
She crumpled the piece of paper into a ball and tossed it into the garbage can.
The car's fender was crumpled in the accident.
At the sight of blood, he crumpled to the floor.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
The Nuggets were playing the Miami Heat when Jokic crumpled to the ground holding his knee at the tail end of the first half.—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025 The concept applies to gift bags, sturdy boxes, and tissue paper that hasn’t been crumpled beyond a little smoothing.—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2025
Noun
Soundtracking Case’s words are windswept arrangements and contagious melodies where baritone guitar, violin swells, and steady percussion crumple up feelings of dread and anxiety.—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 16 Sep. 2025 Bonus points for pairs that won’t crease, crumple, or crinkle when they’re folded.—Jamie Allison Sanders, People.com, 26 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for crumple
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English crumplen, frequentative of Middle English crumpen
Share