Adjacent Words

Crumble definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CRUMBLE, v.t. [G.] To break into small pieces; to divide into minute parts.
CRUMBLE, v.i.
1. To fall into small pieces; to break or part into small fragments.
I a stone is brittle, it will crumble into gravel.
2. To fall into decay; to perish; as, our flesh shall crumble into dust.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: fall apart; "the building crumbled after the explosion"; "Negotiations broke down" [syn: crumble, crumple, tumble, break down, collapse]
2: break or fall apart into fragments; "The cookies crumbled"; "The Sphinx is crumbling" [syn: crumble, fall apart]
3: fall into decay or ruin; "The unoccupied house started to decay" [syn: decay, crumble, dilapidate]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (crumbled; crumbling) Etymology: alteration of Middle English kremelen, frequentative of Old English gecrymian to crumble, from cruma Date: 1547 transitive verb to break into small pieces intransitive verb 1. to fall into small pieces ; disintegrate 2. to break down completely ; collapse <marriages crumble> II. noun Date: 1860 1. something crumbled ; fine debris 2. crisp 2

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 tr. & intr. break or fall into crumbs or fragments. 2 intr. (of power, a reputation, etc.) gradually disintegrate. --n. 1 Brit. a mixture of flour and fat, rubbed to the texture of breadcrumbs and cooked as a topping for fruit etc. (apple crumble; vegetable crumble). 2 a crumbly or crumbled substance. Etymology: ME f. OE, formed as CRUMB

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crumble Crum"ble (kr?m"b'l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Crumbled (-b'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Crumbling (-bl?ng).] [Dim. of crumb, v. t., akin to D. krimelen G. kr?meln.] To break into small pieces; to cause to fall in pieces. He with his bare wand can unthread thy joints, And crumble all thy sinews. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crumble Crum"ble, v. i. To fall into small pieces; to break or part into small fragments; hence, to fall to decay or ruin; to become disintegrated; to perish. If the stone is brittle, it will crumble and pass into the form of gravel. --Arbuthnot. The league deprived of its principal supports must soon crumble to pieces. --Prescott.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(crumbles, crumbling, crumbled) 1. If something crumbles, or if you crumble it, it breaks into a lot of small pieces. Under the pressure, the flint crumbled into fragments... Roughly crumble the cheese into a bowl. VERB: V, V n 2. If an old building or piece of land is crumbling, parts of it keep breaking off. The high and low-rise apartment blocks built in the 1960s are crumbling... The cliffs were estimated to be crumbling into the sea at the rate of 10ft an hour. = disintegrate VERB: V, V prep/adv • Crumble away means the same as crumble. Britain's coastline stretches 4000 kilometres and much of it is crumbling away. PHRASAL VERB: V P 3. If something such as a system, relationship, or hope crumbles, it comes to an end. Their economy crumbled under the weight of United Nations sanctions... VERB: V • Crumble away means the same as crumble. Opposition more or less crumbled away. PHRASAL VERB 4. If someone crumbles, they stop resisting or trying to win, or become unable to cope. He is a skilled and ruthless leader who isn't likely to crumble under pressure. VERB: V 5. A crumble is a baked pudding made from fruit covered with a mixture of flour, butter, and sugar. (BRIT) ...apple crumble. N-VAR: usu n N

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Crush, break to pieces, disintegrate, reduce to fragments. II. v. n. 1. Fall to pieces, break into pieces, become disintegrated. 2. Perish, fall into decay.

Moby Thesaurus

abate, ablate, abrade, atomize, bate, be eaten away, beat, bite the dust, bray, break, break down, break up, brecciate, canker, cave in, collapse, come apart, come to dust, come unstuck, comminute, conk out, consume, consume away, contriturate, corrode, corrupt, crack up, crumb, crumble into dust, crumble to dust, crush, decay, decline, decompose, decrease, deliquesce, die away, diminish, disintegrate, disjoin, disorganize, dissolve, dive, droop, drop, drop off, dwindle, ebb, effloresce, erode, fade, fail, faint, fall, fall away, fall into decay, fall off, fall to dust, fall to pieces, fester, fission, fizzle out, flag, flour, fragment, gangrene, give out, give way, go bad, go downhill, go soft, go to pieces, grain, granulate, granulize, grate, grind, grind to powder, hit the skids, languish, lessen, let up, levigate, mash, melt away, mildew, mill, mold, molder, mortify, mush, necrose, peg out, pestle, peter out, pine, plummet, plunge, poop out, pound, powder, pulverize, putrefy, putresce, rankle, reduce to powder, rot, run low, sag, scrunch, shard, shiver, shred, shrink, sink, smash, sphacelate, split, spoil, squash, subside, suppurate, tail off, taint, topple, triturate, tumble, turn, wane, waste, waste away, weaken, wear, wear away, wear thin, wilt, yield