as in disintegrated
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as in deteriorated
to become worse or of less value
the stock of the energy company crumbled after the revelations of fraud and mismanagement
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Recent Examples of crumbled
The Know, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
Top with tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, avocado slices, lime slices, and crumbled queso fresco.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026
In recent years, life in Cuba has become even more difficult, as the population deals with daily blackouts, shortages of food and medicines and a crumbled infrastructure.
—Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
Our adaptation of the recipe gives you the option to top the beans with crumbled bacon in addition to cooking them in bacon fat.
—Saveur, 8 Aug. 2025
Brady Dennis, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2026
By 2020, Venezuela’s refineries had crumbled to the point that the country had to start importing gasoline from Iran.
—The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Like others, Sudanese journalists have been displaced in huge numbers, and media organizations have crumbled.
—Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Many athletes in the same situation may have crumbled under the pressure.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 16 Jan. 2026
Everyone on the planet may smell like stale Budweiser and crumbled Fritos while watching the Super Bowl, but Bad Bunny doesn’t care.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2026
On June 14, 2023, the three-story building crumbled, fireworks whistled through the sky and the explosions rumbled the ground miles away.
—Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 13 Jan. 2026
The Bears brought more pressure, including defensive back blitzes, and the Packers’ pass protection crumbled while the running game stalled.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Whatever Iran’s hopes about trying to help the Palestinians, the country where Iran has been most active in the region, with a calamitous humanitarian cost, has been Syria, and after spending an untold number of soldiers and dollars there, the Assad regime completely crumbled.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Top with crumbled cheese, if desired.
—The Know, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
Top with tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, avocado slices, lime slices, and crumbled queso fresco.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026
In recent years, life in Cuba has become even more difficult, as the population deals with daily blackouts, shortages of food and medicines and a crumbled infrastructure.
—Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
Our adaptation of the recipe gives you the option to top the beans with crumbled bacon in addition to cooking them in bacon fat.
—Saveur, 8 Aug. 2025
Verb
At least four homes along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore have crumbled amid high winds and rough surf.
—Brady Dennis, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2026
By 2020, Venezuela’s refineries had crumbled to the point that the country had to start importing gasoline from Iran.
—The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Like others, Sudanese journalists have been displaced in huge numbers, and media organizations have crumbled.
—Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Many athletes in the same situation may have crumbled under the pressure.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 16 Jan. 2026
Everyone on the planet may smell like stale Budweiser and crumbled Fritos while watching the Super Bowl, but Bad Bunny doesn’t care.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2026
On June 14, 2023, the three-story building crumbled, fireworks whistled through the sky and the explosions rumbled the ground miles away.
—Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 13 Jan. 2026
The Bears brought more pressure, including defensive back blitzes, and the Packers’ pass protection crumbled while the running game stalled.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Whatever Iran’s hopes about trying to help the Palestinians, the country where Iran has been most active in the region, with a calamitous humanitarian cost, has been Syria, and after spending an untold number of soldiers and dollars there, the Assad regime completely crumbled.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumbled
Verb
-
Harald’s physical health has deteriorated in recent years, requiring Haakon to act as regent on occasion.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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The relationship deteriorated further after Horvath and her colleagues voted to shift hundreds of millions of dollars out of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a city-county partnership, and into a new county agency on homelessness.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Frail elderly women, swathed in headscarves and saris, worshipped while sitting on puddled pavement near corroded metal changing lockers plastered with ads for Glow & Lovely skin cream.—
Norma Meyer,
Oc Register,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Follow this step-by-step approach to safely remove rusty, corroded hardware, without turning this small repair into a bigger problem.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Crews descended the hillside and found a person inside the vehicle, who was pronounced dead at the scene.—
Tarek Fattal,
Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
On his way, two more drones descended and exploded.—
Michael Holtz,
New Yorker,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Investigators are also examining whether the recent death of an Afghan commander Lakanwal had worked with and might have admired may have worsened his mental and emotional state, according to sources.—
Steve Beynon,
ABC News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Over explains that her struggles with her teeth have worsened over time.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Leptospirosis can also be found in contaminated water or soil and is spread by rodents.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Dealing with repairs because of the contaminated gas?—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Police and city leaders declined to comment on her claims when approached by CNN.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The driver and the bicyclist, who was struck, declined to be taken to the hospital.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Chinese officials blamed the tainted test results on chemically altered food the athletes had consumed at the time.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
-
But the process- judging by the emails- seemed to take too long and not be transparent enough for Colorado gasoline regulators, who asked Sinclair for days for a list of gas stations where the tainted fuel was sold.—
Brian Maass,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crumbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumbled. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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