crease

B2 Topic:The Human Body

US /ˈkriːs/ UK /kɹiːs/ See IPA manual

Freq #24815

Meanings

1

noun
A line or fold made in cloth, paper, or skin by pressing or folding.

His trousers had a sharp crease down the front.
2

verb
To make a line or fold in something smooth.

Try not to crease the shirt when you pack it.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a line or fold made in... wrinkle

Word family

Forms creasedcreasescreasing

Derived forms anticreasecreasablecreasedcreaselesscreaseproofcreasercreasynoncreasenoncreasingprecreaserecreaseuncrease

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

sharp crease
a clearly defined, narrow fold or line in fabric

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Crease appeared in the late 16th century and is probably a variant of crest, from Latin crista, “tuft or plume.” The connection is the ridge-like shape made by a fold in cloth.

Etymology

From earlier English creast, from Middle English crest (“ridge, crest”). More at crest.

crest Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

The Human Body

External links

# crease

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈkriːs/
**IPA (UK):** /kɹiːs/
**Frequency rank:** 24815

## Meanings
1. A line or fold made in cloth, paper, or skin by pressing or folding.
2. To make a line or fold in something smooth.

## Examples
- His trousers had a sharp crease down the front.
- Try not to crease the shirt when you pack it.

## Derived Forms
- anticrease
- creasable
- creased
- creaseless
- creaseproof
- creaser
- creasy
- noncrease
- noncreasing
- precrease
- recrease
- uncrease

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: crest

## Etymology
From earlier English creast, from Middle English crest (“ridge, crest”). More at crest.

## AI Etymology
crease comes from earlier English creast, from Middle English crest (“ridge, crest”). More at crest. Current senses include A line or fold made in cloth, paper, or skin by pressing or folding and to make a line or fold in something smooth. English relatives and later formations include anticrease, creasable, creased.

## Topics
- The Human Body

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