crumpleverb
uk/ˈkrʌm.pəl/us/ˈkrʌm.pəl/[ I or T ] to become, or cause something to become, full of folds that are not equal in size:
This shirt crumples easily
[ I ] If someone's face crumples, it becomes full of lines because of a strong emotion:
Her face crumpled with laughter.
[ I ] If someone crumples, they fall to the ground suddenly:
The bullet hit him and he crumpled into a heap on the floor.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Making things more or less smooth or straight
- bunch
- bunch (sth) up
- coarsen
- collapse
- creased
- crinkle
- crumple sth up
- fold
- pucker
- pumice stone
- roll sth up
- roughen
- round sth off
- sand
- sleek
- sleek back/down
- smooth
- steady
- straighten
- straighten up
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Laughing and smiling
Weeping and crying
Falling and dropping
Phrasal verb(s)
crumple sth up