rumple

R1U1M3P3L1E1
/ˈɹʌmpəl/

verb

To make wrinkled, particularly fabric.

“I'll rumple my bedsheets so it looks like I was here last night.”

Similar
ruffleruffle upmess uppuckercocklecrumpleknitdraw
OriginMiddle English rimplen →
RareScrabble 10
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Meanings

rumple1

verbrumple (third-person singular simple present rumples, present participle rumpling, simple past and past participle rumpled)

present singular third person rumples · participle present rumpling · participle past rumpled · past rumpled

  1. transitiveTo make wrinkled, particularly fabric.

    I'll rumple my bedsheets so it looks like I was here last night.

    1 more example

    They would not give a dog's ear of their most rumpled and ragged Scotch paper for twenty of your fairest assignats.

    1790 November, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC
  2. transitiveTo muss; to tousle.
nounrumple (plural rumples)

plural rumples

  1. A wrinkle.

Rumple2

proper nounRumple (plural Rumples)

plural Rumples

  1. A surname.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbdisturb the smoothness of

Similar
ruffleruffle upmess up
Broader
disarrange

verbto gather something into small wrinkles or folds

Similar
puckercocklecrumpleknitdraw
Broader
wrinklerucklecrease

verbbecome wrinkled or crumpled or creased

Similar
crumplewrinklecreasecrinkle
Broader
foldfold up
Also see
cocklecreasecrinklecrumpledisheveldrawknitmess uppuckerruffleruffle upwrinkle

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishrimplen“to become wrinkled”
  2. Englishrumple

From Middle English rimplen (“to become wrinkled”). Compare German rumpeln (“to din, to make the welkin ring”) and Dutch rommelen (“to rumble”).

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian набръчквам, намачквам
  • набръчквам (nabrăčkvam)to make wrinkled
  • намачквам (namačkvam)to make wrinkled
Chinese Mandarin 弄皺 /弄皱, 弄绉
  • 弄皺 /弄皱 (nòngzhòu)to make wrinkled
  • 弄绉 (nòng zhòu)to make wrinkled
  • 皺褶 /皱褶 (zhòuzhě)to make wrinkled
Czech mačkat, zmačkat
  • mačkatto make wrinkled
  • zmačkatto make wrinkled
  • pomačkatto make wrinkled
  • muchlatto make wrinkled
  • zmuchlatto make wrinkled
  • rozcuchatto muss
  • rozčepýřitto muss
  • podrbat (vlasy)to muss
Dutch verkreukelen
  • verkreukelento make wrinkled
Finnish rypistää
  • rypistääto make wrinkled
French froisser
  • froisserto make wrinkled
German zerknittern
  • zerknitternto make wrinkled
Japanese くしゃくしゃにする
  • くしゃくしゃにする (kushakusha ni suru)to make wrinkled
Māori tarihahohaho
  • tarihahohahoto make wrinkled
Norwegian Bokmål knøvle
  • knøvleto make wrinkled
Polish marszczyć, zmarszczyć
  • marszczyćto make wrinkled
  • zmarszczyćto make wrinkled
  • miąćto make wrinkled
  • zmiąćto make wrinkled
  • gnieśćto make wrinkled
  • pognieśćto make wrinkled
Russian мять, смять
  • мять (mjatʹ)to make wrinkled
  • смять (smjatʹ)to make wrinkled
  • ко́мкать (kómkatʹ)to make wrinkled
  • ско́мкать (skómkatʹ)to make wrinkled
Slovak pokrčiť, krčiť
  • pokrčiťto make wrinkled
  • krčiťto make wrinkled
Spanish arrugar
  • arrugarto make wrinkled

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with rumple

crumple
All rhymes →

Anagrams

plumerreplumlumper
Cite this entry
APA

rumple. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rumple

MLA

“rumple.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rumple. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rumple,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rumple.

Source: rumple on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.