crisping

/ˈkɹɪspɪŋ/

crisping is the present participle and gerund of crisp.

Noun

crisping (plural crispings)

A crisp, clearly-defined object that exists within a more vaguely defined object.
- For two vague regions, one topological relation exists between any pair of crispings. There are a number of relations possible between the members of the sets of crisp regions on which the vague regions stand.2003, Wenzhong Shi, Peter Fisher, Michael F. Goodchild, Spatial Data Quality
(archaic) A process of curling or forming into ringlets.
- Wherefore are all your sleekings, and your curlings,
  Crispings, and paintings, and your skin made soft,
  And your face smooth with ointments […]1631, Shackerley Marmion, Holland's Leaguer

Meaning of crisp

Verb

crisp (third-person singular simple present crisps, present participle crisping, simple past and past participle crisped)

(transitive) To make (something) firm yet brittle; specifically (cooking), to give (food) a crispy surface through frying, grilling, or roasting.
- to crisp bacon by frying it
Synonyms:

crispen
(dated, figuratively, transitive) To add small amounts of colour to (something); to tinge, to tint.
- It was the form of a man of middle age, the hair white, but the beard only crisped with grey,1876 December, Margaret Oliphant, “The Secret Chamber”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume 120, page 718
(intransitive) To become firm yet brittle; specifically (cooking), of food: to form a crispy surface through frying, grilling, or roasting.
- to put celery into ice water to crisp
Synonyms:

crispen
(dated, intransitive) To make a sharp crackling or crunching sound.
- […] everything had become so still that the crisping of the snow under foot might be heard nearly half a verst round.1860, Nikolai Gogol, “The Night of Christmas Eve: A Legend of Little Russia”, in George Tolstoy, transl., Cossack Tales, London: Blackwood, page 1
Synonyms:

crackle, creak, crunch, rustle
(dated, transitive) To curl (something, such as fabric) into tight, stiff folds or waves; to crimp, to crinkle; specifically, to form (hair) into tight curls or ringlets.
- […] those crisped snaky golden locks / Which make such wanton gambols with the wind,c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
(dated, figuratively, transitive) To cause (a body of water) to undulate irregularly; to ripple.
- […] the crisped Brooks, / Rowling on Orient Pearl and sands of Gold1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...

See all 35 meanings of crisp

Forms of crisping

plural	crispings

Phrases with crisping

Questions about crisping

What does crisping mean?: Crisping means a crisp, clearly-defined object that exists within a more vaguely defined object.
What is crisping the present participle and gerund of?: Crisping is the present participle and gerund of crisp.
What part of speech is crisping?: Crisping is a noun.
How do you pronounce crisping?: Crisping is pronounced /ˈkɹɪspɪŋ/.
What is the plural of crisping?: The plural of crisping is crispings.

Words near crisping in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: crisping (page history and authors); crisp (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this entry: “crisping.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/crisping. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.