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 hopes of the best team most of them could remember in their lifetimes crumpled, in an instant.—Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025 The final scene, in Episode 4, which sees the Miller family feign a day of normalcy on the occasion of Eddie’s fiftieth birthday, ends with the weeping father crumpled in his son’s bed, begging his forgiveness.—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025
Noun
His face, so often calm and ready, crumples into despair.—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025 The footage shows the killer appear relatively calm, not seeming to panic as Thompson crumples, and only breaking into a slight jog while crossing the street to leave the scene.—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 6 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for crumple
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English crumplen, frequentative of Middle English crumpen
Share