crumb

noun \ ˈkrəm \

Definition of crumb

1 a :a small fragment especially of something baked (such as bread)

b :a porous aggregate of soil particles

2 :bit

a crumb of good news

3 :the soft part of bread

4 slang :a worthless person

See crumb defined for English-language learners

See crumb defined for kids

Examples of crumb in a Sentence

He swept the crumbs from under the table.
a neglected dog who is desperate for any crumb of affection he might get from strangers

Recent Examples of crumb from the Web

At the Basque Fry at Corley Ranch in Gardnersville, the lamb testicles were sliced, dipped in flour and egg and bread crumbs then fried.

— will higgins, Indianapolis Star, "Hoosier GOP leader: 'We were the biggest hog nut user in the U.S. at one time'," 29 Aug. 2017
Place bread crumbs and flour in separate shallow dishes.

— claire perez, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Chicken balsamic withstands test of time," 11 Aug. 2017
Using a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles crumbs.

— maya wilson, Alaska Dispatch News, "This blueberry and rhubarb galette is untidy, imperfect – and completely delicious," 4 Aug. 2017
Its underdog spirit is faithfully reflected in the crumb-bum decor and the sense of Southern California as an inconvenient archipelago of crappy parking lots.

— james wolcott, HWD, "Netflix’s Charming GLOW and Showtime’s Glowless I’m Dying Up Here," 20 July 2017
Turn off the heat, and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the fruit filling into the prepared pie dish, and sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top.

— susan russo, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Donut peaches worthy of higher profile," 17 July 2017
So little is known of Shakespeare himself — cities of supposition have been built on a foundation of crumbs — that there is a lot of room to go with interpretation that still falls within the range of plausibility, not to say scholarly approval.

— robert lloyd, latimes.com, "'Will' examines Shakespeare's younger years," 9 July 2017
Working in batches, dust the crab cakes' tops and bottoms with the panko, pressing just so the crumbs adhere, then place them in the skillet.

— bonnie s. benwick, charlotteobserver, "A great crab cake is all about the crab," 27 June 2017
In a small bowl, combine panko crumbs, flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper.

— darlene zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, "Introduce kids to broccoli with these bites," 25 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crumb.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of crumb

Middle English crumme, from Old English cruma; akin to Middle High German krume crumb

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

crumb Synonyms

crumb

verb

Definition of crumb

transitive verb

1 :to break into crumbs

2 :to cover or thicken with crumbs

3 :to remove crumbs from

crumb a table

Recent Examples of crumb from the Web

The company, Water Lilies Food Inc. of Astoria, N.Y., was notified by an ingredient supplier that bread crumbs the company used potentially contained milk, the USDA said.

— carrie wells, baltimoresun.com, "Multiple food products recalled in Maryland," 8 June 2017