crumble
(redirected from crumbles)Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.
crumble
disintegrate; to break into crumbs
Not to be confused with:
crumple – collapse; to crush together or press into wrinkles: She crumpled the paper and threw it away.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
crum·ble
(krŭm′bəl)v. crum·bled, crum·bling, crum·bles
v.tr.
To break into small fragments or pieces: I crumbled the cheese into the salad.
v.intr.
1. To fall into small fragments or pieces; disintegrate: The ancient castle had crumbled to ruins.
2. To give way; collapse: an ego that crumbles under pressure.
n.
1. A baked dessert of fruit topped with a crumbly pastry mixture: cherry crumble.
2. The crumbly mixture on top of such a dessert.
[Alteration (influenced by crumb) of Middle English cremelen, from Old English *crymelen, frequentative of gecrymmian, to break into crumbs, from cruma, crumb.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
crumble
(ˈkrʌmbəl)vb
1. to break or be broken into crumbs or fragments
2. (intr) to fall apart or away: his resolution crumbled.
n
(Cookery) Brit a baked pudding consisting of a crumbly mixture of flour, fat, and sugar over stewed fruit: apple crumble.
[C16: variant of crimble, of Germanic origin; compare Low German krömeln, Dutch kruimelen]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
crum•ble
(ˈkrʌm bəl)v. -bled, -bling,
n. v.i.
1. to break or collapse into small fragments.
2. to decay or disintegrate gradually: The ancient walls were crumbling.
v.t. 3. to break into small particles or crumbs.
n. 4. a crumbly or crumbled substance.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
crumble
Past participle: crumbled
Gerund: crumbling
Imperative |
---|
crumble |
crumble |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Verb | 1. | crumble - fall apart; "the building crumbled after the explosion"; "Negotiations broke down" change integrity - change in physical make-up |
2. | crumble - break or fall apart into fragments; "The cookies crumbled"; "The Sphinx is crumbling" disintegrate - break into parts or components or lose cohesion or unity; "The material disintegrated"; "the group disintegrated after the leader died" | |
3. | crumble - fall into decay or ruin; "The unoccupied house started to decay" change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" deteriorate - become worse or disintegrate; "His mind deteriorated" rust, corrode - become destroyed by water, air, or a corrosive such as an acid; "The metal corroded"; "The pipes rusted" weather - change under the action or influence of the weather; "A weathered old hut" eat at, erode, gnaw at, gnaw, wear away - become ground down or deteriorate; "Her confidence eroded" ruin - fall into ruin fall apart, wear out, bust, wear, break - go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
crumble
verb
1. disintegrate, collapse, break up, deteriorate, decay, fall apart, perish, degenerate, decompose, tumble down, moulder, go to pieces Under the pressure, the flint crumbled into fragments. The chalk cliffs are crumbling.
2. crush, fragment, crumb, pulverize, pound, grind, powder, granulate Roughly crumble the cheese into a bowl.
3. collapse, break down, deteriorate, decay, fall apart, degenerate, go to pieces, go to wrack and ruin Their economy crumbled under the weight of United Nations sanctions.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
crumble
verbTo reduce or become reduced to pieces or components:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَتَفَتَّت، يَنْهـار
drobitdrolitrozpadnout se
smuldre
szétmorzsol
mylja; molna
irtitrupėtitrupinti
drupinātsadruptsagrūtsairt
mrviť
drobiti se
ufala mak
crumble
[ˈkrʌmbl]A. VT [+ bread] → desmigar, desmigajar; [+ earth, cheese etc] → desmenuzar
B. VI
1. [bread] → desmigarse, desmigajarse; [earth, cheese etc] → desmenuzarse; [building, plaster etc] → desmoronarse
2. (fig) [hopes, power, self-confidence] → desmoronarse, venirse abajo; [coalition] → venirse abajo, derrumbarse
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
crumble
[ˈkrʌmbəl] vt [+ cheese, bread, cake, stock cube] → émietter
vi
[cheese, bread, cake, stock cube] → s'émietter; [plaster, rock] → s'effriter; [land, earth] → s'ébouler
[building] → se délabrer; [wall] → tomber en ruines
(fig) [marriage] → s'effondrer; [market, economy] → s'effondrer; [state, empire, coalition] → s'effondrer
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
crumble
vt → zerkrümeln, zerbröckeln; to crumble something into/onto something → etw in/auf etw (acc) → krümeln or bröckeln
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
crumble
[ˈkrʌmbl]1. vt → sbriciolare
2. vi (bread) → sbriciolarsi; (earth, land) → sbriciolarsi, franare; (building) → andare in rovina; (plaster, bricks) → sgretolarsi (fig) (hopes, power) → crollare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
crumble
(ˈkrambl) verb to break into crumbs or small pieces. She crumbled the bread; The building had crumbled into ruins; Her hopes of success finally crumbled.
ˈcrumbly adjectiveKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.