crimped

UK: /krɪmpt/

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

crimp¹ /krɪmp/   v. [~ + object]

1. to press into small regular folds;
   make wavy.
2. Clothing to curl (hair), esp. with a curling iron:
   enjoyed crimping her hair.
3. to restrain, hinder, or interfere with;
   hold back:
   You crimp his progress when you keep interrupting him.

n. [countable]

4. Clothing Usually, crimps. [plural] waves or curls, esp. in crimped hair.

Idioms

5. Idioms put a crimp in, [~ + object] to interfere with;
   hinder:
   This bad weather puts a crimp in our plans for a picnic.

crimp•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

crimp¹  (krimp), v.t. 

1. to press into small regular folds;
   make wavy.
2. Clothing to curl (hair), esp. with the use of a curling iron.
3. to press or draw together, as the ends of something.
4. to check, restrain, or inhibit;
   hinder:
   Production was crimped by a shortage of workers.
5. Food [Cookery.]
   • to pinch and press down the edges of (a pie crust), esp. to seal together the top and bottom layers of pastry.
   • to gash (the flesh of a live fish or of one just killed) with a knife to make more crisp when cooked.
6. to produce a corrugated surface in;
   corrugate, as sheet metal, cardboard, etc.
7. Clothing to bend (leather) into shape.
8. Metallurgy
   • to bend the edges of (skelp) before forming into a tube.
   • to fold the edges of (sheet metal) to make a lock seam.

n. 

9. the act of crimping.
10. a crimped condition or form.
11. Clothing Usually, crimps. waves or curls, esp. in hair that has been crimped or that displays a crimped pattern.
12. Textiles the waviness of wool fibers as naturally grown on sheep.
13. Textiles the waviness imparted to natural or synthetic fibers by weaving, knitting, plaiting, or other processes.
14. Metallurgy a crease formed in sheet metal or plate metal to make the material less flexible or for fastening purposes.
15. Idioms put a crimp in, to interfere with;
    hinder:
    His broken leg put a crimp in their vacation plans.

• Middle English crympen, Old English gecrympan to curl, derivative of crump crooked 1350–1400

crimp′er, n. 

crimp²  (krimp), n. 

1. Military a person engaged in enlisting sailors, soldiers, etc., by persuasion, swindling, or coercion.

v.t. 

2. Military to enlist (sailors, soldiers, etc.) by such means.

• special use of crimp¹ 1630–40

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

crimp / krɪmp/ verb (transitive)

1. to fold or press into ridges
2. to fold and pinch together (something, such as the edges of two pieces of metal)
3. to curl or wave (the hair) tightly, esp with curling tongs
4. to hinder

noun

1. the act or result of folding or pressing together or into ridges
2. a tight wave or curl in the hair

Etymology: Old English crympan; related to crump bent, Old Norse kreppa to contract, Old High German crumpf, Old Swedish crumb crooked; see cramp¹

ˈcrimper noun

ˈcrimpy adjective