What’s the word/verb meaning “to bend something inwards”

single-word-requestsverbs

I'm struggling hard to remember a word I came across many months ago. It's not an uncommon word as far as I can remember. The word in question means, again if I can recall correctly, to bend something inwards. I think it's a synonym of, or at least related to, telescope (as in The cars telescoped during the collision). I also have a vague remembrance that the word starts with the letter 's'. I've been cudgeling my brains hard over this, but the word is still eluding me.

I know this is probably not the right place to be asking such a frivolous question, but I'm pretty sure I'll be rid in no time of this compulsive obsession to recall the word ASAP.

Best Answer

Whether this is the lost word in your head I cannot say, but in some circumstances you might use scrunch.

Merriam Webster (M-W)

Scrunch:

to draw or squeeze together tightly; crumple — often used with up; to cause (something) to draw together —usually used with up

Cambridge

to make something or yourself smaller to fit into a small space

Collins discusses a little more than M-W and Cambridge. Here is an extract:

Collins

If you scrunch something, you squeeze it or bend it so that it is no longer in its natural shape and is often crushed.

Her father scrunched his nose. [VERB noun]

Her mother was sitting bolt upright, scrunching her white cotton gloves into a ball. [VERB noun + into]

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