I. crin ‧ kle 1 /ˈkrɪŋk ə l/ BrE AmE ( also crinkle up ) verb [intransitive and transitive]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: Perhaps from Old English cringan ; ⇨ ↑ cringe ]
1 . if you crinkle part of your face, or if it crinkles, you move it so that small lines appear on it:
His mouth crinkled into a smile.
He smiled boyishly, crinkling his eyes.
Her face crinkled up in disgust.
2 . to become covered with small folds, or make something do this:
The heat was beginning to make the cellophane crinkle.
—crinkled adjective :
The pages were brown and crinkled.
II. crinkle 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
a thin fold, especially in your skin or on cloth, paper etc ⇨ crease :
The first crinkles of age were beginning to appear round her eyes.