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Added 9 October 2026

crumple

/ˈkɹʌmpəl/ verb

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about crumple at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Fall apart.
the building crumbled after the explosion
Fold or collapse.
His knees buckled
To gather something into small wrinkles or folds.
She puckered her lips

Origin

From Middle English crumplen, cromplen, frequentative of Middle English crumpen (“to curl up, crump”), from Old English crump (“bent, crooked”). Equivalent to crump + -le.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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