crust

American  

[kruhst] / krʌst /

noun

crusts plural

1. the brown, hard outer portion or surface of a loaf or slice of bread (distinguished from crumb).

2. a slice of bread from the end of a loaf, consisting chiefly of this.

3. the pastry covering the outside of a pie or other dish.

4. a piece of stale bread.

5. any more or less hard external covering or coating.

   a crust of snow.

6. Geology. the outer layer of the earth, about 22 miles (35 km) deep under the continents continental crust and 6 miles (10 km) deep under the oceans oceanic crust.

7. a scab or eschar.

8. Slang. unabashed self-assertiveness; nerve; gall.

   He had a lot of crust going to the party without an invitation.

9. deposit from wine, as it ripens during aging, on the interior of bottles, consisting of tartar and coloring matter.

10. the hard outer shell or covering of an animal.

11. Australian Slang. a living or livelihood.

    What do you do for a crust?

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verb (used with object)

crusts, present (3rd person singular) crusted, past participle, past crusting present participle

1. to cover with or as with a crust; encrust.

2. to form (something) into a crust.

verb (used without object)

crusts, present (3rd person singular) crusted, past participle, past crusting present participle

1. to form or contract a crust.

2. to form into a crust.

crust British  

/ krʌst /

noun

1. 1. the hard outer part of bread

   2. a piece of bread consisting mainly of this

2. the baked shell of a pie, tart, etc

3. any hard or stiff outer covering or surface

   a crust of ice

4. the solid outer shell of the earth, with an average thickness of 30–35 km in continental regions and 5 km beneath the oceans, forming the upper part of the lithosphere and lying immediately above the mantle, from which it is separated by the Mohorovičić discontinuity See also sial sima

5. the dry covering of a skin sore or lesion; scab

6. a layer of acid potassium tartrate deposited by some wine, esp port, on the inside of the bottle

7. the hard outer layer of such organisms as lichens and crustaceans

8. slang impertinence

9. slang a living (esp in the phrase earn a crust )

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verb

1. to cover with or acquire a crust

2. to form or be formed into a crust

crust Scientific  

/ krŭst /

1. The solid, outermost layer of the Earth, lying above the mantle.

2. ◆ The crust that includes continents is called continental crust and is about 35.4 to 70 km (22 to 43.4 mi) thick. It consists mostly of rocks, such as granites and granodiorites, that are rich in silica and aluminum, with minor amounts of iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium.

3. ◆ The crust that includes ocean floors is called oceanic crust and is about 4.8 to 9.7 km (3 to 6 mi) thick. It has a similar composition to that of continental crust, but has higher concentrations of iron, magnesium, and calcium and is denser than continental crust. The predominant type of rock in oceanic crust is basalt.

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crust Cultural  

1. In geology, the outermost layer of the Earth. It overlies the mantle.

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crust Idioms  

1. see upper crust.

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Discover More

The crust includes the continents and the ocean bottom and is generally estimated to be about five to twenty-five miles thick.

The crust is made from relatively lightweight rocks that floated to the surface when the Earth was molten early in its history.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undercrust
  noun
• intercrust
  verb (used with object)
• crustless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• crusts
  plural

Participles

• crusting
  present
• crusted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• crust
  simple
• crusts
  simple
• have crusted
  perfect
• has crusted
  perfect
• am crusting
  progressive
• are crusting
  progressive
• is crusting
  progressive
• have been crusting
  perfect progressive
• has been crusting
  perfect progressive

Past

• crusted
  simple
• had crusted
  perfect
• was crusting
  progressive
• were crusting
  progressive
• had been crusting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will crust
  simple
• will have crusted
  perfect
• will be crusting
  progressive
• will have been crusting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of crust

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French cruste, croste, from Latin crusta “hard coating, crust”

Explanation

The crust is a hard layer that forms on the outside of something, like a loaf of bread. Little kids often like their sandwiches with the crust cut off. You’ve probably eaten lots of crusts — bread crust, pie crust — any food that’s hard on the outside and soft on the inside has a crust. Crust is also a verb meaning “to form a hard outer layer.” Crusting happens with more than just food, like when a layer of dirt crusts your clothes after a romp in the mud. The Earth has a hard crust too. Little kids don’t like to eat that either, usually.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crust crusts crusted crusting

There is more vanadium in the Earth's crust than lithium, but it is less accessible and more volatile in economic terms.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Salt them the night before and leave them uncovered on a rack in the fridge, which gives the seasoning time to penetrate and helps the surface dry for a better crust.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

The crust is crisp, the pizza cooks more evenly, and I enjoy eating it.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

Cake crumbles, graham-cracker crust toppings and star-spangled sprinkles are a whole other challenge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Without the coal cars, Coalwood was no longer covered by a daily pall of dust, but I still saw a gray, ugly crust on everything and everybody that would never come off.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Crusted scabies, previously known as Norwegian scabies, causes a "scaly rash and thickened crusts of skin", external containing thousands of mites, and can be due to reduced immunity, although that is not always the case.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Still, executives expressed optimism during the earnings call about things like Totino’s pizza crusts and seasoned pizza rolls, as well as Asian- and Mexican-inspired snacks.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

Maybe it’s homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made on pillowy Wonder Bread, with the crusts cut off.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

Materials containing magnesium and calcium often form hard, dense crusts when they crystallize.

From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026

There were ham sandwiches on crusty brown bread, and cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches on white bread with the crusts trimmed off.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Anything that’s old, spoiled, crusted over, or vaguely suspect can go — no second-guessing required.

From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2026

Constable’s famously crusted, white-flecked surfaces, as seen in this painting’s coarsely textured beams and choppy canal water, and in its windswept, cloud-filled skies, became touchstones in his work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

One recent winter saw things get so bad that the eczema crusted over her face, sealing her eyes and mouth shut.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2024

This dish rekindles that memory, offering a grown-up take on the crusted white fish.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 16, 2024

In the living room, she took in the aftermath of the previous night’s Eid visits: the overturned cups, the half-chewed pumpkin seeds stashed between mattresses, the plates crusted with the outline of last night’s meal.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

"Swollen face, a fever, lameness, drooling and crusting of the nostrils - if you do come across any of those clinical signs ring the department immediately and we will investigate."

From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025

Two days later the reaction arrived: redness, itching, oozing, crusting and small, fluid-filled blisters up and down his legs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2025

In “Downton” Fellowes wrote all the best set-ups and punchlines for Violet, inspired by Smith’s near-flawless track record with crusting each phrase with the perfect sear.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2024

But not just any rust stain: This one had really hit its mature stride, crusting corroded metal onto the unsealed paver surface — sort of like iron-oxide barnacles.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 29, 2022

He grabbed the back of the boat with numb fingers, then hauled himself onboard, dripping with seawater, ice crusting his red beard.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

Related Words

• layer
• skin
• surface