crust

noun \ ˈkrəst \

Definition of crust

1 a :the hardened exterior or surface part of bread

b :a piece of this or of bread grown dry or hard

2 a :the pastry shell of a pie :piecrust

b :the bready layer that forms the foundation of a pizza

3 :a hard or brittle external coat or covering: such as

a :a hard surface layer (as of soil or snow)

b :the outer part of a planet, moon, or asteroid composed essentially of crystalline rocks

c :a deposit built up on the interior surface of a wine bottle during long aging

d :an encrusting deposit (as of the eye) of dried secretions or exudate; also :scab

4 :gall, nerve

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crust

verb

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crustal

play \ˈkrə-stᵊl\ adjective

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crustless

play \ˈkrəs(t)-ləs\ adjective

See crust defined for English-language learners

See crust defined for kids

Examples of crust in a Sentence

Her children prefer to eat their sandwiches with the crust cut off.
a pie with flaky crust
He likes pizza with thin crust.

Recent Examples of crust from the Web

Maury’s Silver Lake After years of research and tweaking, Gjusta alum and East Coast traditionalist Jason Kaplan arrived at his ideal bagel: plump but not too plump, with a supple chew and thin crust.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "These 6 Bakers Are Saving L.A.’s Bagel Reputation," 30 Aug. 2017
In our Kitchen Appliances and Technology Lab's testing, crust was super crispy and well-browned; burned-on cheese and sauce washer off easily.

— the good housekeeping institute, Good Housekeeping, "Emile Henry Pizza Stone," 26 Aug. 2017
Increase oven temperature to 425°. While bacon is cooking, cut crusts off bread; discard.

— claire saffitz, Bon Appetit, "BLT Salad," 22 Aug. 2017
Pat's serves an extra-thin crust, often referred to as tavern-style, that's cut into square slices.

— nick kindelsperger, chicagotribune.com, "Why are Chicagoans so obsessed with Italian sausage on pizza? An investigation," 21 Aug. 2017
Researchers who have examined how meteor impacts shock minerals in the Earth's crust and simulated conditions in Jupiter's interior by turning aluminum foil into a warm, dense plasma will now be able to do so with three times the power.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Powerful Laser Lets Scientists Study What the Inside of Planets Are Like," 18 Aug. 2017
The secrets to a flaky pie crust are not overworking the dough and not breaking up the butter too much.

— nancy miller, The Courier-Journal, "Corbett's pastry chef: You don't need formal training to nail a good dessert," 1 Aug. 2017
Deep gashes opened in Earth's crust, spewing lava that leaped into the air in luminous walls that reached up to 500 meters.

— shannon hall, Scientific American, "Volcanoes May Have Triggered the Last Unexplained Mass Extinction," 24 July 2017
A third theory suggests the asteroids actually came from Mars itself, perhaps even from its below its crust, and were thrown out during a violent collision with another object.

— marina koren, The Atlantic, "The Mysterious Origins of Mars’s Trailing Asteroids," 18 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of crust

Middle English, from Latin crusta; akin to Old English hrūse earth, Greek kryos icy cold, krystallos ice, crystal

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

crust Synonyms

Synonyms

audaciousness, audacity, brashness, brass, brassiness, brazenness, cheek, cheekiness, chutzpah (also chutzpa or hutzpah or hutzpa), effrontery, face, gall, nerve, nerviness, pertness, presumption, presumptuousness, sauce, sauciness, temerity

Near Antonyms

bashfulness, diffidence, faintheartedness, hesitancy, modesty, shyness, timidity, timidness, timorousness; civility, courteousness, courtesy, gentility, graciousness, mannerliness, manners

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

CRUST Defined for English Language Learners

crust

noun

Definition of crust for English Language Learners

: the hard outer surface of bread
: the outside part of a pie
: the bread that is used to make a pizza

CRUST Defined for Kids

crust

noun \ ˈkrəst \

Definition of crust for Students

1 :the hardened outside surface of bread

2 :a hard dry piece of bread

3 :the pastry cover of a pie

4 :a hard outer covering or surface layer

a crust of snow

5 :the outer part of the earth

Medical Dictionary

crust

noun \ ˈkrəst \

medical Definition of crust

1 :scab 2

2 :an encrusting deposit of serum, cellular debris, and bacteria present over or about lesions in some skin diseases (as impetigo or eczema)

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crust

verb

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Definition of crust

crust

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Examples of crust in a Sentence

Recent Examples of crust from the Web

Origin and Etymology of crust

crust Synonyms

Synonyms

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CRUST Defined for English Language Learners

crust

Definition of crust for English Language Learners

CRUST Defined for Kids

crust

Definition of crust for Students

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crust

medical Definition of crust

crust

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