crumble
[kruhm-buh l]
- to break into small fragments or crumbs.
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- to fall into small pieces; break or part into small fragments.
- to decay or disintegrate gradually: The ancient walls had crumbled.
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- 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.
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Origin of crumble
Synonyms
See more synonyms for crumble on Thesaurus.com1. mash, shatter. 2. disintegrate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for crumble
Contemporary Examples
But, Ali warns all that can change quickly if Anbar continues to crumble, “right now, we are looking into the Abyss.”
For such a source of outward joy to crumble so violently, what the hell happened?
Afghans will lose faith in it and the credibility of modern political institutions will crumble.
The Congressman barely batted an eye when the stage beneath him began to crumble under the weight of the supporters on it.
“The point that people forget is that the music industry started to crumble, and everything started to change,” she says.
Kelis’s Comeback: The R&B Diva on New Album ‘Food,’ Legacy of ‘Milkshake,’ and the Nas SplitMarlow Stern
May 3, 2014
Historical Examples
With every lurch of her feet, Andrew expected to feel her crumble beneath him.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
It seemed too bright for a thing formed of dust, and doomed to crumble into dust again.
Sylph EtheregeNathaniel Hawthorne
Not yet to be, and nevertheless to crumble away in this fashion under the sky!
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
And if he did, are these walls that will crumble at a few cannon-shots?
Love-at-ArmsRaphael Sabatini
Is it in this wise that a house noble for centuries is to crumble into ruin?
The Fortunes Of GlencoreCharles James Lever
crumble
- to break or be broken into crumbs or fragments
- (intr) to fall apart or awayhis resolution crumbled
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- British a baked pudding consisting of a crumbly mixture of flour, fat, and sugar over stewed fruitapple crumble
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Word Origin
C16: variant of crimble, of Germanic origin; compare Low German krömeln, Dutch kruimelen
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for crumble
v.
late 15c., kremelen, from Old English *crymelan, presumed frequentative of gecrymman "to break into crumbs," from cruma (see crumb). The -b- is 16c., probably on analogy of French-derived words like humble, where it belongs, or by influence of crumb. Related: Crumbled; crumbling.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with crumble
crumble
see that's how the ball bounces (cookie crumbles).
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.