CRISP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does crisp mean? 

• CRISP (noun)
  The noun CRISP has 1 sense:

1. a thin crisp slice of potato fried in deep fat

  Familiarity information: CRISP used as a noun is very rare.

• CRISP (adjective)
  The adjective CRISP has 6 senses:

1. (of something seen or heard) clearly defined

2. tender and brittle

3. pleasantly cold and invigorating

4. pleasingly firm and fresh

5. (of hair) in small tight curls

6. brief and to the point; effectively cut short

  Familiarity information: CRISP used as an adjective is common.

• CRISP (verb)
  The verb CRISP has 2 senses:

1. make wrinkles or creases on a smooth surface; make a pressed, folded or wrinkled line in; 'crisp' is archaic

2. make brown and crisp by heating

  Familiarity information: CRISP used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CRISP (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A thin crisp slice of potato fried in deep fat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

chip; crisp; potato chip; Saratoga chip

Hypernyms ("crisp" is a kind of...):

snack food (food for light meals or for eating between meals)

Derivation:

crisp (make brown and crisp by heating)

crisp; crispy (tender and brittle)

• CRISP (adjective)

Comparative: crisper   
Superlative: crispest   

Sense 1

Meaning:

(of something seen or heard) clearly defined

Synonyms:

crisp; sharp

Context example:

the crisp snap of dry leaves underfoot

Similar:

distinct (easy to perceive; especially clearly outlined)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Tender and brittle

Synonyms:

crisp; crispy

Context example:

crisp potato chips

Similar:

tender (easy to cut or chew)

Derivation:

crisp (a thin crisp slice of potato fried in deep fat)

crispness (firm but easily broken)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Pleasantly cold and invigorating

Synonyms:

crisp; frosty; nipping; nippy; snappy

Context example:

snappy weather

Similar:

cold (having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Pleasingly firm and fresh

Context example:

crisp lettuce

Similar:

fresh (recently made, produced, or harvested)

Derivation:

crispness (a pleasing firmness and freshness)

Sense 5

Meaning:

(of hair) in small tight curls

Synonyms:

crisp; frizzly; frizzy; kinky; nappy

Similar:

curly ((of hair) having curls or waves)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Brief and to the point; effectively cut short

Synonyms:

crisp; curt; laconic; terse

Context example:

short and terse and easy to understand

Similar:

concise (expressing much in few words)

Derivation:

crispness (an expressive style that is direct and to the point)

• CRISP (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they crisp    ... he / she / it crisps   
Past simple: crisped   
Past participle: crisped   
-ing form: crisping   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make wrinkles or creases on a smooth surface; make a pressed, folded or wrinkled line in; 'crisp' is archaic

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

crease; crinkle; crisp; ruckle; scrunch; scrunch up; wrinkle

Context example:

crease the paper like this to make a crane

Hypernyms (to "crisp" is one way to...):

fold; fold up; turn up (bend or lay so that one part covers the other)

Domain usage:

archaicism; archaism (the use of an archaic expression)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "crisp"):

cockle; crumple; knit; pucker; rumple (to gather something into small wrinkles or folds)

pucker; ruck; ruck up (become wrinkled or drawn together)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make brown and crisp by heating

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

crisp; crispen; toast

Context example:

crisp potatoes

Hypernyms (to "crisp" is one way to...):

heat; heat up (make hot or hotter)

Domain category:

cookery; cooking; preparation (the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

crisp (a thin crisp slice of potato fried in deep fat)

 Context examples 

The founder of that great emporium proved to be a brisk, crisp little person, very dapper and quick, with a clear head and a ready tongue.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It was a bright, crisp February morning, and the snow of the day before still lay deep upon the ground, shimmering brightly in the wintry sun.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The hard rock of ocean crust also generates crisper seismic images.

(Underwater volcano's fiery eruption captured in detail by seafloor observatory, NSF)

His hard-set face had softened, and the thick crop of crisp brown curls which had been hidden by his helmet grew low upon his massive neck.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The man whom I found myself facing was a well-built, fresh-complexioned young fellow, with a frank, honest face and a slight, crisp, yellow moustache.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

So out came the tarlatan, looking older, limper, and shabbier than ever beside Sallie's crisp new one.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Even my own terrible experiences in Castle Dracula seem like a long-forgotten dream. Here in the crisp autumn air in the bright sunlight— Alas! how can I disbelieve!

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Then I sat down in my shady corner, looking up at the sunlight on the opposite chimney-pots, and thinking about Dora; until Mr. Spenlow came in, crisp and curly.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

They crisped and crackled like electric sparks.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

The Curly-Coated Retriever is a large, athletic retriever with a distinctive crisp curly coat.

(Curly-Coated Retriever, NCI Thesaurus)