crumb

American  

[kruhm] / krʌm /

noun

1. a small particle of bread, cake, etc., that has broken off.

2. a small particle or portion of anything; fragment; bit.

   Synonyms:

   speck, sliver, morsel, shred, scrap

3. the soft inner portion of a bread (crust ).

4. crumbs, a cake topping made of sugar, flour, butter, and spice, usually crumbled on top of the raw batter and baked with the cake.

5. Slang. a contemptibly objectionable or worthless person.

---

verb (used with object)

1. Cooking. to dress or prepare with crumbs.

2. to break into crumbs or small fragments.

3. to remove crumbs from.

   The waiter crumbed the table.

crumb British  

/ krʌm /

noun

1. a small fragment of bread, cake, or other baked foods

2. a small piece or bit

   crumbs of information

3. the soft inner part of bread

4. slang a contemptible person

---

verb

1. (tr) to prepare or cover (food) with breadcrumbs

2. to break into small fragments

adjective

1. (esp of pie crusts) made with a mixture of biscuit crumbs, sugar, etc

Other Word Forms

• crumbable adjective
• crumber noun
• decrumb verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of crumb

before 1000; Middle English crome, crume, Old English cruma; akin to Dutch kruim, German Krume crumb, Latin grūmus heap of earth

Example Sentences

Popcorn, with its flying crumbs and sonic crunch, was too lowbrow—and too messy—for their polished halls.

From The Wall Street Journal

When I open the door again, Emma is standing two inches away from my face, Oreo crumbs stuck to her cheeks.

From Literature

Her favorite treat was a chocolate cupcake but whenever she started licking the frosting or crumbs off the wrapper, Mrs. Palmer said it wasn’t polite to lick the wrapper, and made her stop.

From Literature

Changes in crumb structure also led to denser bread with reduced softness.

From Science Daily

Frost it however you like, even if that means uneven swoops and visible crumbs.

From Salon