wrinkle

Everyday

1. A wrinkle is a small line or fold in skin, cloth or paper. tree →
2. To wrinkle is to make or get such lines, as when you wrinkle your nose or a shirt gets creased. tree →
3. Informally, a wrinkle is a small problem or a clever new idea. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons, skin gets wrinkles with age; fingers wrinkle in water. In everyday life, ironing removes wrinkles from clothes. In stories, someone wrinkles their nose at a bad smell to show dislike. Phrases: «wrinkle your nose», «iron out the wrinkles», «wrinkled skin».

Examples

• Grandma has wrinkles around her eyes when she smiles. tree →
• My fingers wrinkle after a long bath. tree →
• He wrinkled his nose at the smell of the bin. tree →
• Iron the shirt to get rid of the wrinkles. tree →
• The old map was full of wrinkles and folds. tree →
• We still need to iron out a few wrinkles in our plan. tree →
• But every hundred years there came a wrinkle on my face. tree →

Note

Countable noun; regular verb: wrinkled, wrinkling (drop the e). The w is silent. Adjective «wrinkly». Wrinkles in skin are normal with age, not a sign of illness.