crumble
Americanverb (used with object)
-
crumbles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
crumbled,
past participle, past
-
crumbling
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
crumbles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
crumbled,
past participle, past
-
crumbling
present participle
-
to fall into small pieces; break or part into small fragments.
- Synonyms:
- disintegrate
-
to decay or disintegrate gradually.
The ancient walls had crumbled.
noun
-
crumbles
plural
-
a crumbly or crumbled substance.
-
crumbles, bits of crisp bacon, bread, etc., added to other foods, especially as a topping.
-
British Dialect. crumb; particle; fragment.
verb
-
to break or be broken into crumbs or fragments
-
(intr) to fall apart or away
his resolution crumbled
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
crumblesimple
-
crumblessimple
-
have crumbledperfect
-
has crumbledperfect
-
am crumblingprogressive
-
are crumblingprogressive
-
is crumblingprogressive
-
have been crumblingperfect progressive
-
has been crumblingperfect progressive
Past
-
crumbledsimple
-
had crumbledperfect
-
was crumblingprogressive
-
were crumblingprogressive
-
had been crumblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crumble
1375–1425; earlier crymble, crimble; late Middle English kremelen, akin to crome crumb; see -le
Explanation
To crumble is to come apart into tiny pieces. If the doughnuts you bring to work crumble before you get there, you co-workers will have nothing but crumbs to snack on. Baked goods seem to crumble easily, but other things tend to crumble too: old houses, over time; sand castles; fragile ruins; and art objects made from clay. Anything that falls apart, especially into small bits, can be said to crumble. The root of the word is the Old English gecrymman, "to break into crumbs," which in turn comes from cruma, "crumb or fragment."
Vocabulary lists containing crumble
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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:
"The coastline flanking the sea arch has shown signs of instability for years," NPS, which warned in 2021 that the arch would eventually crumble, said in a statement.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Nearly 8.3 million refugees and other forcibly displaced people face losing vital assistance from UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency warned Tuesday, as protection services crumble due to "severe" funding cuts.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
But in the months since, his pageant dreams have begun to crumble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
A financial plan built for age 90 may crumble if a person lives to 110.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
I didn't turn around, because I couldn't be sure my face wouldn't crumble.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
As sentiment about AI crumbles, Klement said the stock market could fall about 35% — hence his 5,000 target for the S&P 500.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
The toppings are market-flexible, too: Use whatever chèvre or goat cheese you find, whether it crumbles into little pillows or lands in soft clouds, and turn a leftover hunk of cornbread into crisp, salty crumbs.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Cake crumbles, graham-cracker crust toppings and star-spangled sprinkles are a whole other challenge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
And that brings us to another issue - the lack of a plan B if the line crumbles again.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
Behind her, the isle she was originally standing on now crumbles into pieces.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
The powerful surf exacerbated by the morning's high tide slammed into coastal communities, including Long Beach, where signficiant sections of the boardwalk crumbled under the pounding waves and several homes suffered serious structural damage.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Prospects of a sequel crumbled in 2019 when the Hollywood Reporter broke news that Lim left the sequel over pay disparity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
The Swedish American Investment Corp. put most of its assets under the sway of Ivar Kreuger, an aggressive dealmaker who later died in an apparent suicide after his business empire crumbled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Jaissle's side crumbled and conceded three goals in a chastening 14-minute period in the first half.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
One of the towers of birdcages crumbled to the ground.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
France's student protests are fuelled by a range of grievances, from unreplaced teachers and crumbling buildings to broader inequalities in accessing a good education.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Protesters are demanding the government boost spending on the education system by fixing crumbling infrastructure, reducing class sizes and hiring new teachers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
A dangerously nondurable kind of concrete was used for a recently built skyscraper that is already crumbling from the inside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
"When Bake Off should be crumbling after 17 seasons, Nigella Lawson is making Channel 4's crown jewel fresher than ever," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
But when he said he was crumbling under the guilt, I couldn't bring myself to say any of that.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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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.
