Meaning & use
crumple zone
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
a part of a vehicle designed to bend and crush in a crash so that the force of the impact is absorbed
Grammar: Countable: a crumple zone, crumple zones. Often used before another noun: crumple zone design.
Patterns
- a crumple zone at the front
- crumple zones absorb energy
- designed with crumple zones
The front of the car has a crumple zone that absorbs energy in a collision.
Modern vehicles are built with crumple zones to protect passengers.
Engineers tested how the crumple zone deformed at different speeds.
Word forms
| plural | crumple zones |
|---|
Common combinations
- front crumple zone
- The front crumple zone crushed on impact, keeping the cabin intact.
- rear crumple zone
- A rear crumple zone helps protect passengers in a rear-end crash.
- crumple zone design
- Crumple zone design has improved a lot in the last twenty years.
- absorb energy
- Crumple zones are meant to absorb energy, not to stay perfectly rigid.
Synonyms and how they differ
- crash structure
- Crash structure is a broader engineering term for any part designed to manage crash forces; a crumple zone is one specific type.
Word family
- crumple verb
- to crush or fold something into wrinkles or a messy shape
Commonly confused: crumple zone or crash zone?
crumple zone vs crash zone
A 'crash zone' is not a standard car term; the correct engineering term is 'crumple zone'.
Practice
In a head-on crash, the ______ at the front of the car bends to absorb energy.
Choose one answer.
The correct term is 'crumple zone'. 'Crumble zone' sounds similar but is not the standard term, and 'crash zone' and 'crown zone' are not used for this part of a car.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “crumple zone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.