crumple

Compared meaning: bend or crush something to make creases (verb).

比较义项：把物体折出褶痕／使部分重叠（动词）。

• fold

  Fold means to bend something over itself neatly and on purpose, usually to make it smaller or tidy; it produces a controlled, even shape, as when putting away laundry or paper.

  fold指有意地、整齐地将物体对折，通常是为了使其变小或整齐；结果是规整、均匀的形状，比如收纳衣物或纸张时。

  Please fold the towels neatly and stack them in the closet.

  请把毛巾整齐地折好，摞放在壁橱里。

• crumple 本词

  Crumple means to crush something, often paper or fabric, into a messy mass of creases, usually carelessly or under pressure; it suggests disorder or damage rather than a tidy shape.

  crumple指把物体（常为纸或布料）揉压成杂乱的一团褶皱，通常是随意地或受压所致；它暗示凌乱或受损，而非整齐的形状。

  She crumpled the paper into a ball before throwing it in the bin.

  她把那张纸揉成一团后扔进了垃圾桶。

Fold and crumple both mean to make creases in something. Fold means to bend something neatly on purpose, often to tidy it, like paper or laundry. Crumple means to crush something, often paper or cloth, into messy creases, usually carelessly or with damage.

这两个词都表示使物体出现折痕，但fold指有意地、整齐地折叠某物，通常是为了整理或收纳；crumple指把物体（常为纸或布）揉皱、压出杂乱的褶皱，往往带有随意或损坏的意味。

Compared meaning: to fall down or collapse suddenly or slowly (verb).

比较义项：（建筑物、系统或人的姿态、情绪等）突然或逐渐地倒塌、崩溃、瓦解（动词）。

• collapse

  The all-purpose word for total, sudden failure; used broadly for buildings, systems, or a person losing strength, without the rolling motion of tumble or the fragment-by-fragment sense of crumble.

  最通用的词，指彻底、突然的失效；可广泛用于建筑、系统或身体虚脱，没有 tumble 那种滚动跌落的意味，也没有 crumble 那种一点点碎裂的过程。

  The old bridge collapsed without warning during the storm last night.

  那座旧桥在昨晚的暴风雨中毫无预警地倒塌了。

• tumble

  Emphasizes a fall with a rolling or toppling motion, often of a person or object losing balance; less suited to describing slow structural failure like crumble.

  强调像滚动、跌倒一样地摔落，常用于人或物体失去平衡的情形；不太适合表示像 crumble 那样缓慢的结构性损坏。

  He lost his balance and tumbled down the steep staircase.

  他没有站稳，从陡峭的楼梯上一路翻滚着摔了下去。

• crumble

  Highlights a slow, gradual process of breaking into pieces over time, typically for old buildings or long-lasting things; rarely describes one sudden instant of failure.

  强调随着时间缓慢地一点点碎裂瓦解的过程，常用于老旧建筑或持续很久的事物，很少表示某一瞬间突然的失效。

  The ancient castle walls have been slowly crumbling for centuries.

  这座古老城堡的墙壁几个世纪以来一直在慢慢崩塌瓦解。

• crumple 本词

  Describes something suddenly folding or giving way, as if crushed like paper; often used for a person's face, posture, or resistance collapsing emotionally in an instant.

  描述某物像纸张被揉皱一样突然瘪下去、崩溃，常用于人的表情、姿态或抵抗力在瞬间于情感上崩溃。

  Her smile crumpled the instant she read the tragic news.

  她一读到那则悲惨的消息，笑容瞬间就垮了下来。

Collapse, tumble, crumble, and crumple all mean to fall down suddenly or slowly. Collapse is the general word for total, sudden failure. Tumble stresses a rolling, toppling fall. Crumble means breaking apart slowly, over time. Crumple means suddenly giving way, like a face losing control.

这四个词都能表示（建筑、系统或人的姿态、情绪等）倒塌、崩溃、瓦解，但过程和语气不同：collapse 最通用，强调彻底失效；tumble 强调像滚动、跌倒一样地摔落；crumble 强调随时间一点点碎裂瓦解的过程；crumple 强调像纸张被揉皱一样突然瘪下去，多用于人的表情或抵抗力。这里不比较 crumple「把纸张等揉皱」的字面义。