breadcrumb

American  

[bred-kruhm] / ˈbrɛdˌkrʌm /

noun

• breadcrumbs
  plural

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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• breadcrumbs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of breadcrumb

First recorded in 1760–70; bread + crumb

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

breadcrumb breadcrumbs

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

The breadcrumb shards that blackened and caramelized at the edges of the sheet pan.

From Salon ● Feb. 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

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 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

“We follow the trail of breadcrumbs as far as we can, and then try to bring them to life with empathy and compassion.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

And as she said it she held out little bags of breadcrumbs to the passers-by.

From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers

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