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1. Fall apart
   "the building crumpled after the explosion";
   - crumble, tumble, break down, collapse
    
2. Fold or collapse
   "His knees crumpled";
   - buckle
    
3. To gather something into small wrinkles or folds
   "She crumpled her lips";
   - pucker, rumple, cockle, knit
    
4. Become wrinkled, crumpled or creased
   "This fabric won't crumple";
   - rumple, wrinkle, crease, crinkle
    
5. Squeeze or crush a flat material to make a compact rough ball or fit in a container
   "he crumpled up the letter and threw it";
   - scrunch, scrunch up, crumple up

Derived forms: crumpled, crumples, crumpling

Type of: break, cave in, change integrity, collapse, crease [archaic], crinkle [archaic], crisp [archaic], fall in, fold, fold up, founder, give, give way, ruckle [archaic], scrunch [archaic], scrunch up [archaic], wrinkle [archaic]

Encyclopedia: Crumple