What does crimped mean?
Crimped describes something that has been firmly pressed, folded, or pinched into a series of small ridges or waves. The word appears most familiarly in three settings: baking, where pastry dough is crimped along its edge both to seal and to decorate a pie; textiles and paper, where material is crimped to give it texture or grip; and hairstyling, where a heated crimping iron presses zigzag ridges into hair, a look strongly associated with 1980s fashion. As a verb, "to crimp" means to perform such pressing, and the adjective form simply describes the result. Figuratively, the word can suggest tightness or constraint, though this use is less common today. Derived from a Germanic root meaning to shrink or contract, "crimped" is a practical, concrete word whose visual quality — a neat, regular waviness — makes it instantly recognizable whenever it is used.
Pressed or pinched into small folds, ridges, or regular waves; having a corrugated or fluted surface.
"The tailor finished the dress with a delicately crimped ruffle at the neckline."
Most frequently found attributively, describing the edges of pies, the texture of fabric, or hair styled with a crimping iron.
Past tense and past participle of crimp: to press, pinch, or fold into ridges or waves.
"She crimped the edges of the pastry together to seal in the filling."
As a verb form, "crimped" follows the transitive verb crimp, which takes a direct object such as dough, wire, or hair.
The wavy zigzag texture of crimped 1980s hair and the decorative edge of your grandmother's apple pie come from the very same word — one tool, two very different vibes.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of crimped
The word "crimp" entered English in the early seventeenth century, borrowed from Low German or Dutch forms such as Middle Dutch krimpen, meaning to shrink, contract, or wrinkle. It belongs to the same Germanic root that gave us "shrimp," another word for something small and curled. Originally used of wrinkled or puckered surfaces, it later developed specialized senses in cooking, textiles, and even nautical slang, where "to crimp" meant to trick men into serving on ships.
Related word forms
How crimped is actually used
"Crimped" is most often used attributively ("crimped edges", "crimped hair") rather than predicatively. In cooking it is a neutral, even approving term; applied to hair it carries strong retro associations with 1980s fashion. The verb "crimp" also has an older slang sense meaning to press someone into naval service by trickery, but this is now historical.
Easily confused with crimped
Cramped means uncomfortably confined or restricted in space, while crimped refers to something physically pressed into folds or ridges.