breadcrumb

noun

bread·​crumb ˈbred-ˌkrəm 

variants or bread crumb

plural breadcrumbs or bread crumbs

1

: a small fragment or crumb of bread

left breadcrumbs all over the table

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat—it's at the correct temperature when a breadcrumb dropped into the hot oil sizzles and turns light golden.

—Bre Graham

especially : a fragment of stale, hard, or dried bread that has been crushed or ground for use in cooking

Meatballs are often made with breadcrumbs, which help bind the meat and other ingredients together …

—Lauren Salkeld

A sprinkling of bread crumbs or grated cheese, and dots of butter, help to form a light brown covering … over the sauce.

—Simone Beck et al.

2

: something (such as a hint or clue) that serves to lead or guide

Spotting a couple of gas planets in another solar system is … an important bread crumb in the search for life in the universe.

—Marina Koren

… I love how the movie drops breadcrumbs to support the conclusion that Kris Kringle is, or isn't, the real Santa.

—Odie Henderson

… the latest auteur to take the reins of the franchise … has transformed our hero into a hard-boiled detective following a trail of bread crumbs left by a serial killer.

—Miles Surrey

Examples of breadcrumb in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Honey-dijon dressing provides tang, sugar snap peas add crunch and sweetness, and garlicky breadcrumbs stand in for croutons. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2026

Then again, there’s also something freeing about dropping breadcrumbs for the public. —Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 4 Mar. 2026

Obviously, free agency is still going to be a major domino in the process, but the combine gives us breadcrumbs to how teams are thinking. —Dane Brugler, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026

Whether any of these are actual relationships, casual hangouts, or just people existing in the same spaces, the breadcrumb trail across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X has given fans plenty to work with. —Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

bread entry 1 + crumb entry 1; (sense 2) after the crumbs dropped to mark a return path out of the forest in the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel

First Known Use

circa 1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for breadcrumb

• become
• checksum
• humdrum
• income
• outcome
• succumb
• therefrom
• wherefrom
• abomasum
• bum
• chum
• come