1 B1 neutral
To crush paper, fabric, or another flexible material into an irregular, wrinkled mass.
"He crumpled up the rejection letter and threw it in the bin."
separable
crumple up
B1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To crush something flexible, such as paper or fabric, into an irregular, wrinkled shape; or for a person to collapse or fall.
In plain English
To crush something soft like paper into a messy ball shape, or to fall down suddenly.
What does "crumple up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
Of a person: to suddenly collapse or fall, especially due to emotion, injury, or exhaustion.
"When she heard the news, she crumpled up and started to cry."
inseparable
3 B2 idiomatic neutral
Of a face or expression: to distort suddenly, usually with distress or crying.
"His face crumpled up when he realized he had lost everything."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To crumple (fold and crush) completely (up) into a wrinkled shape.
Actually means
To crush something soft like paper into a messy ball shape, or to fall down suddenly.
Usage tip
Very common with paper and other flexible materials. The figurative use — a person crumpling up (collapsing) with emotion or injury — is also frequent in literature and everyday speech.
Words that pair with "crumple up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
paper letter note fabric face body
How to conjugate "crumple up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
crumple up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
crumples up
he/she/it
Past simple
crumpled up
yesterday
Past participle
crumpled up
have + pp
-ing form
crumpling up
continuous
Hear "crumple up" in the wild
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Other ways to say "crumple up"
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