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View synonyms for crumble

crumble

[ kruhm-buhl ]

verb (used with object)

crumbled, crumbling.
  1. to break into small fragments or crumbs.

    Synonyms: shatter, mash



verb (used without object)

crumbled, crumbling.
  1. to fall into small pieces; break or part into small fragments.

    Synonyms: disintegrate

  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.
  3. British Dialect. crumb; particle; fragment.

crumble

/ ˈkrʌmbəl /

verb

  1. to break or be broken into crumbs or fragments
  2. intr to fall apart or away

    his resolution crumbled

“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

noun

  1. a baked pudding consisting of a crumbly mixture of flour, fat, and sugar over stewed fruit

    apple crumble

“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
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Other Words From

  • crumbling·ness noun
  • half-crumbled adjective
  • un·crumbled adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of crumble1

1375–1425; earlier crymble, crimble; late Middle English kremelen, akin to crome crumb; -le
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Word History and Origins

Origin of crumble1

C16: variant of crimble, of Germanic origin; compare Low German krömeln, Dutch kruimelen
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Idioms and Phrases

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

"This government inherited a crumbling local government sector," the spokesperson said.

From BBC

"If the ice underneath is rotten - eroded by salt - it'll crumble away under stress and maybe drift somewhere more shallow," says Prof Meijers.

From BBC

President Trump’s foreign policy of militant nationalism and a new American Manifest Destiny will also cause more wars and other armed conflicts as the existing rules-based international order crumbles.

From Salon

On the other hand, it is undeniable that a white-ball empire has crumbled on Key's watch.

From BBC

“Everything across the street — gone. Torched. Fully crumbled down.”

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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

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