crinkle

From Middle English crenclen (“to bend, buckle”), from Old English *crinclian, frequentative form of Old English crincan (“to yield”), from Proto-Germanic *kringaną (“to turn, to fall, to yield”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, wind”). Cognate with North Frisian krenge, krönge (“to obtain, reach, attain”), Dutch krinkelen (“to turn, wind”). Related to cringe.

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪŋkəl

crinkle (third-person singular simple present crinkles, present participle crinkling, simple past and past participle crinkled)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To fold, crease, crumple, or wad.

   He crinkled the wrapper and threw it out.

   The old man's lined face crinkled into a smile.

2. (intransitive) To rustle, as stiff cloth when moved.
   • L. T. Trowbridge

     The green wheat crinkles like a lake.

   • Elizabeth Browning

     All the rooms were full of crinkling silks.

• crinkle-patterned
• uncrinkle

crinkle (plural crinkles)

1. A wrinkle, fold, crease, or unevenness.

   He observed the crinkles forming around his eyes and suddenly felt old.

• clinker