What does crimping mean?
Crimping is the act of pressing or pinching a material into a series of small folds, grooves, or ridges. In the kitchen it most often refers to sealing a pie by working the overhanging edge of pastry between finger and thumb, creating the familiar fluted border that keeps filling in and looks attractive. In electrical and plumbing work, crimping means compressing a metal fitting onto a wire or tube so that it grips firmly without solder — a job done with specialised crimping pliers. Hairdressers use the word too, for pressing hair into tight zigzag waves with a heated crimping iron, a style strongly associated with the 1980s. The word carries no strong connotation of its own; its meaning depends entirely on context, ranging from homey craft skill to precise technical procedure. Derived from an older Germanic root meaning to shrink or contract, crimping remains a handy, widely understood term across several very different trades and pastimes.
The action or result of pressing something into small folds or ridges.
"The crimping on the crust was neat and even."
Often used attributively or as a gerund referring to the process itself.
To press, pinch, or fold material into ridges, as with pastry, wire connectors, or hair.
"Crimp the edges firmly so the filling cannot escape."
The same word covers your pie crust's decorative edge, an electrician's wire connector, and 1980s zigzag hairstyles — three trades, one pinch.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of crimping
The verb crimp entered English in the early seventeenth century, borrowed from Dutch krimpen, meaning to shrink, contract, or draw together, which shares roots with related Germanic words for contraction. Its earliest senses involved curling or puckering hair and cloth before expanding to pastry edges and metal fittings. It belongs to a family of Germanic words denoting contraction, alongside terms like shrimp and scrimp.
Related word forms
How crimping is actually used
Common in both everyday kitchen talk and technical trade contexts such as electrical work and hairdressing; neutral in tone.
Easily confused with crimping
Cramping means suffering painful involuntary muscle contraction, whereas crimping means pressing or folding material into ridges.