as in deteriorates
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 crumbles
Academic success means little if a child crumbles under stress.
—
Dr. Mona Amin, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2025
Toby’s display, overall, looks a lot nicer, but when Paul goes to take a slice of his cake from the chocolate case, the whole thing crumbles to a mess.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
At times, the house would break apart onstage, with the top half lifted in the air, only for YoungBoy to start aggressively rapping, standing supreme while the house crumbles around him.
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
The film reportedly follows Streep’s Miranda as the magazine industry crumbles around her.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025
However, the film often crumbles under the weight of the ambitions.
—Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Dr. Mona Amin, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2025
Toby’s display, overall, looks a lot nicer, but when Paul goes to take a slice of his cake from the chocolate case, the whole thing crumbles to a mess.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
At times, the house would break apart onstage, with the top half lifted in the air, only for YoungBoy to start aggressively rapping, standing supreme while the house crumbles around him.
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
The film reportedly follows Streep’s Miranda as the magazine industry crumbles around her.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025
However, the film often crumbles under the weight of the ambitions.
—Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumbles
Verb
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When those conditions are absent, performance deteriorates quickly.—
Katerin Le Folcalvez,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
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The Kyiv Post reported Thursday that Ukrainian military officials say Russian units left inside the city are cut off from reliable supply lines and are increasingly surrendering as their position deteriorates.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
26 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The other occurs when Marty descends a staircase in the opulent apartment that Kay shares with her rich husband, Milton (Kevin O’Leary).—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
5 Jan. 2026
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Netflix What happens when a supernatural danger descends on a blissful retirement community?—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Sam slips back into her addiction and as her alcoholism worsens, so do the visions and apparitions that seem to be haunting the forest.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
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As climate change worsens, more locations are going to become too hot for data centers.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As Gustav aims to work his way back into their lives, Nora retreats into isolation as her mental health increasingly declines.—
Yamillah Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
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Conversely, declines in the short-term interest rate partially mitigated the overall rise in payments.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crumbles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumbles. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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