crumble

[ kruhm-buhl ]
See synonyms for: crumblecrumbledcrumbling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),crum·bled, crum·bling.
  1. to break into small fragments or crumbs.

verb (used without object),crum·bled, crum·bling.
  1. to fall into small pieces; break or part into small fragments.

  2. to decay or disintegrate gradually: The ancient walls had crumbled.

noun
  1. a crumbly or crumbled substance.

  2. crumbles, bits of crisp bacon, bread, etc., added to other foods, especially as a topping.

  1. British Dialect. crumb; particle; fragment.

Origin of crumble

1
1375–1425; earlier crymble, crimble;late Middle English kremelen, akin to cromecrumb; see -le

Other words for crumble

Other words from crumble

  • crum·bling·ness, noun
  • half-crumbled, adjective
  • un·crum·bled, adjective

Words Nearby crumble

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use crumble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for crumble

crumble

/ (ˈkrʌmbəl) /


verb
  1. to break or be broken into crumbs or fragments

  2. (intr) to fall apart or away: his resolution crumbled

noun
  1. British a baked pudding consisting of a crumbly mixture of flour, fat, and sugar over stewed fruit: apple crumble

Origin of crumble

1
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

Other Idioms and Phrases with crumble

crumble

see that's how the ball bounces (cookie crumbles).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.