breadcrumb

American  

[bred-kruhm] / ˈbrɛdˌkrʌm /

noun

1. a crumb of bread, either dried or soft.

2. 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.

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breadcrumb British  

/ ˈbrɛdˌkrʌm /

noun

1. the soft inner part of bread

2. (plural) bread crumbled into small fragments, as for use in cooking

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verb

1. to coat (food) with breadcrumbs

   egg and breadcrumb the escalopes

Etymology

Origin of breadcrumb

First recorded in 1760–70; bread + crumb

Example Sentences

Sometimes seasoned simply with salt and pepper, sometimes coated in Shake ’n Bake, that sandy, paprika-tinged breadcrumb mix that crisped into something approximating a crust.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 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

Rescuers followed the road and found another breadcrumb: a second note with additional information, such as the names and telephone numbers of the missing individuals.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 16, 2025

Each of these edits leaves a unique digital breadcrumb trail and Stamm's lab has developed a suite of tools calibrated to find and follow them.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 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