Dictionary Home » Dictionary Definitions » crumble

crumble

Listen See in Thesaurus See in a sentence

To crumble is to break into small pieces, or to fall to pieces.

(verb)

An example of crumble is to hold a shell in your hand and crush it.
An example of crumble is to make something into crumbs, or small pieces of bread.
An example of crumble is to lose hope for success, your hope crumbles.

See crumble in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb crumbled, crumbling

to break into crumbs or small pieces

Origin: freq. of crumb

intransitive verb

to fall to pieces; disintegrate

noun

Rare a crumb or crumbling substance

See crumble in American Heritage Dictionary 4

crum·ble

verb crumbled crum·bled, crumbling crum·bling, crum·bles

verb, transitive

To break into small fragments or particles.

verb, intransitive

To fall into small fragments or particles; disintegrate. See Synonyms at decay.
To give way; collapse: an ego that crumbles under pressure.

noun

A baked dessert of fruit topped with a crumbly pastry mixture: cherry crumble.

Origin: Alteration (influenced by crumb) of Middle English cremelen, from Old English *crymelen, frequentative of gecrymmian, to break into crumbs, from cruma, crumb.

Learn more about crumble

crumble synonyms

crumble phrase meanings

crumble in a sentence

crumble quotes

link/cite print suggestion box