breadcrumb
Americannoun
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breadcrumbs
plural
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a crumb of bread, either dried or soft.
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Also called breadcrumb trail. Digital Technology. Usually breadcrumbs. a sequence of text links on the current page of a website or web-based application, usually at the top, showing the page's location within a hierarchy of content or browsing history and providing a convenient navigational tool.
Online shoppers can use breadcrumbs to see other products in the same category.
noun
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the soft inner part of bread
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(plural) bread crumbled into small fragments, as for use in cooking
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of breadcrumb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
You want a real torn chunk, something closer to an unruly crouton than a breadcrumb.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
They act like breadcrumb trails that help the immune system locate and remove cellular debris before it can trigger unwanted inflammation.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 24, 2026
Millions of onlookers are attached to their screens, united in their desperation for any new breadcrumb in the case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
This, despite getting nothing from her subject save for breadcrumb trails that went cold, leads that dissolved into thin air.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2024
Ged shot breadcrumb arrows after the owls and brought them down, and when they touched the ground there they lay, bone and crumb, all illusion gone.
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
But based on a trail of digital breadcrumbs left by the attackers, the AI researchers linked the incident to OpenAI’s lab.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
"I even ate the breadcrumbs left by the pigeons."
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
To trace the breadcrumbs of this tragedy, readers need critical context.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Serve as a snack, or use anywhere you’d use croutons, breadcrumbs or a very persuasive little cheese crisp.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
He had an idea that there were a few breadcrumbs in the pocket of his overalls.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
