Adjacent Words

Crimp definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CRIMP, a. [See Crumble.]
1. Easily crumbled; friable; brittle. [Little used.]
The fowler--treads the crimp earth.
2. Not consistent. [Not used.]
CRIMP, v.t. To catch; to seize; to pinch and hold. [See Crimple.]
CRIMP, v.t. To curl or frizzle; as, to crimp the hair. This is evidently the same word as the foregoing.
CRIMP, n.
1. In England, an agent for coal-merchants, and for persons concerned in shipping.
2. One who decoys another into the naval or military service.
3. A game at cards.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an angular or rounded shape made by folding; "a fold in the napkin"; "a crease in his trousers"; "a plication on her blouse"; "a flexure of the colon"; "a bend of his elbow" [syn: fold, crease, plication, flexure, crimp, bend]
2: someone who tricks or coerces men into service as sailors or soldiers [syn: crimp, crimper]
3: a lock of hair that has been artificially waved or curled v
1: make ridges into by pinching together [syn: crimp, pinch]
2: curl tightly; "crimp hair" [syn: crimp, crape, frizzle, frizz, kink up, kink]

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb Etymology: Dutch or Low German krimpen to shrivel; akin to Middle Dutch crampe hook, cramp Date: 1712 1. to cause to become wavy, bent, or pinched: as a. to form (leather) into a desired shape b. to give (synthetic fibers) a curl or wave like that of natural fibers c. to pinch or press together (as the margins of a pie crust) in order to seal 2. to be an inhibiting or restraining influence on ; cramp <sales had been crimped by credit controls — Time> • crimper noun II. noun Date: 1863 1. something produced by or as if by crimping: as a. a section of hair artificially waved or curled b. a succession of waves (as in wool fiber) c. a bend or crease formed in something 2. something that cramps or inhibits ; restraint, curb III. noun Etymology: perhaps from ¹crimp Date: 1758 a person who entraps or forces men into shipping as sailors or into enlisting in an army or navy IV. transitive verb Date: 1812 to trap into military or sea service ; impress

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v.tr. 1 compress into small folds or ridges; frill. 2 make narrow wrinkles or flutings in; corrugate. 3 make waves in (the hair) with a hot iron. --n. a crimped thing or form. Phrases and idioms: put a crimp in US sl. thwart; interfere with. Derivatives: crimper n. crimpy adj. crimpily adv. crimpiness n. Etymology: ME, prob. ult. f. OHG krimphan

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crimp Crimp, v. t. (Firearms) In cartridge making, to fold the edge of (a cartridge case) inward so as to close the mouth partly and confine the charge.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crimp Crimp, a. 1. Easily crumbled; friable; brittle. [R.] Now the fowler . . . treads the crimp earth. --J. Philips. 2. Weak; inconsistent; contradictory. [R.] The evidance is crimp; the witnesses swear backward and forward, and contradict themselves. --Arbuthnot.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crimp Crimp (kr[i^]mp), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Crimped (kr[i^]mt; 215); p. pr. & vb. n. Crimping.] [Akin to D. krimpen to shrink, shrivel, Sw. krympa, Dan. krympe, and to E. cramp. See Cramp.] 1. To fold or plait in regular undulation in such a way that the material will retain the shape intended; to give a wavy appearance to; as, to crimp the border of a cap; to crimp a ruffle. Cf. Crisp. The comely hostess in a crimped cap. --W. Irving. 2. To pinch and hold; to seize. 3. Hence, to entrap into the military or naval service; as, to crimp seamen. Coaxing and courting with intent to crimp him. --Carlyle. 4. (Cookery) To cause to contract, or to render more crisp, as the flesh of a fish, by gashing it, when living, with a knife; as, to crimp skate, etc. Crimping house, a low lodging house, into which men are decoyed and plied with drink, to induce them to ship or enlist as sailors or soldiers. Crimping iron. (a) An iron instrument for crimping and curling the hair. (b) A crimping machine. Crimping machine, a machine with fluted rollers or with dies, for crimping ruffles leather, iron, etc. Crimping pin, an instrument for crimping or puckering the border of a lady's cap.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crimp Crimp, n. 1. A coal broker. [Prov. Eng.] --De Foe. 2. One who decoys or entraps men into the military or naval service. -- Marryat. 3. A keeper of a low lodging house where sailors and emigrants are entrapped and fleeced. 4. Hair which has been crimped; -- usually in pl. 5. A game at cards. [Obs.] --B. Jonson. Boot crimp. See under Boot.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(crimps, crimping, crimped) 1. If you crimp something such as a piece of fabric or pastry, you make small folds in it. Crimp the edges to seal them tightly. VERB: V n 2. To crimp something means to restrict or reduce it. (AM) The dollar's recent strength is crimping overseas sales and profits. VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Curl, crisp. 2. Plait, form into ridges. II. n. (Colloq.) Decoyman (for the military service), ensnarer, trapanner.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A broker or factor, as a coal crimp, who disposes of the cargoes of the Newcastle coal ships; also persons employed to trapan or kidnap recruits for the East Indian and African companies. To crimp, or play crimp; to play foul or booty: also a cruel manner of cutting up fish alive, practised by the London fishmongers, in order to make it eat firm; cod, and other crimped fish, being a favourite dish among voluptuaries and epicures.

Moby Thesaurus

Vandyke, abduce, abduct, abductor, aqueduct, bar, bit, blaze, bollix, bridle, bunco artist, bunco steerer, canal, canalization, canalize, cardsharp, cardsharper, carpetbagger, carry away, carry off, carve, chamfer, channel, check, chisel, chop, cocker, cockle, coil, con artist, con man, confidence man, constrain, corrugate, corrugation, crab, crack, cramp, crankle, crease, creasing, crenellate, crenulate, crimper, crimple, crinkle, crisp, crumbly, crumple, curl, cut, dado, dike, ditch, dog-ear, double, double over, doubling, duplicature, enfold, engrave, entrenchment, flection, flexure, flounce, flute, fold, fold over, fosse, foul up, friable, frill, frizz, frizzle, furrow, gash, gather, goffer, gouge, groove, gully, gum, gum up, gutter, ha-ha, hamper, hold back, hold down, hold for ransom, hold in, horse coper, horse trader, hurdle, impediment, impress, incise, indent, infold, inhibit, interfold, jackleg, jag, kennel, kidnap, kidnapper, kink, knit, knot, knurl, land pirate, land shark, land-grabber, lap over, lapel, lappet, lock, louse up, machicolate, mill, moat, mortgage shark, mountain, nick, notch, obstruction, pettifogger, picot, pink, pitchman, plait, plat, pleat, plica, plicate, plication, plicature, plow, ply, ponytail, pucker, pulverizable, pulverulent, purse, queer, quill, rabbet, ridge, rifle, rimple, ringlet, ripple, rivel, rub, ruche, ruching, ruck, ruckle, ruff, ruffle, rumple, run away with, rut, scallop, scarify, score, scotch, scratch, screw, scrunch, serrate, shanghai, shanghaier, shark, sharp, sharper, sharpie, shirr, shortchanger, shyster, skyjack, slash, slicker, slit, snafu, snag, snatch, spieler, spirit away, streak, striate, sunk fence, tooth, trench, triturable, trough, tuck, turn over, twill, wimple, withhold, wrinkle