crumble
Other forms: crumbling; crumbled; crumbles
To crumble is to come apart into tiny pieces. If the doughnuts you bring to work crumble before you get there, you co-workers will have nothing but crumbs to snack on.
Baked goods seem to crumble easily, but other things tend to crumble too: old houses, over time; sand castles; fragile ruins; and art objects made from clay. Anything that falls apart, especially into small bits, can be said to crumble. The root of the word is the Old English gecrymman, "to break into crumbs," which in turn comes from cruma, "crumb or fragment."
-
break or fall apart into fragments“The cookies crumbled”“The Sphinx is crumbling”
-
synonyms:
fall apart
-
type of:
-
disintegrate
break into parts or components or lose cohesion or unity
-
disintegrate
-
fall apart“the building crumbled after the explosion”
-
synonyms:
break down, collapse, crumple, tumble
-
type of:
-
change integrity
change in physical make-up
-
change integrity
-
fall into decay or ruin
-
synonyms:
decay, dilapidate
-
types:
- show 11 types...
- hide 11 types...
-
deteriorate
become worse or disintegrate
-
corrode, rust
become destroyed by water, air, or a corrosive such as an acid
-
weather
change under the action or influence of the weather
-
eat at, erode, gnaw, gnaw at, wear away
become ground down or deteriorate
-
droop, wilt
become limp
-
ruin
fall into ruin
-
break, bust, fall apart, wear, wear out
go to pieces
-
go to pot, go to the dogs
become ruined
-
eat away, fret
wear away or erode
-
wear, wear down, wear off, wear out, wear thin
deteriorate through use or stress
-
fray, frazzle
wear away by rubbing
-
type of:
-
change
undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
/ˈkrəmbəl/
/ˈkrəmbəl/
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing crumble
In this powerful novel, a Brooklyn fifth grader explores the effects of the September 11th terrorist attacks on her family, friends, city, and country.
After the death of his mother, Matt takes a job at a funeral home, where he learns to deal with his own grief and loneliness. Learn these words from the award-winning novel by Jason Reynolds.
Look up crumble for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
