breadcrumb
Americannoun
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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:
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
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
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 let’s be clear about what it represents: breadcrumbs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
My favorite was the spicy lobster spaghetti, tossed in chili tomato sauce and topped with bottarga and breadcrumbs for texture.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
Not that it lacks a plan: Retrospectively, you can trace back the breadcrumbs that led toward a conclusion, of sorts — but I can say no more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
I was also parmesan-less, so I pivoted toward other salty pleasures instead: crushed bacon and a pan of toasted breadcrumbs made from the heel of a sourdough loaf.
From Salon ● May 12, 2026
Except that Hansel and Gretel used the breadcrumbs like a map to find their way back home.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
