as in disintegration
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value
the stock of the energy company crumbled after the revelations of fraud and mismanagement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crumbling
Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
The dilapidated wooden trim and sagging porticos were spruced up a few years ago after preservationists complained to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, but the upstairs windows reveal glimpses of peeling paint, crumbling plaster, and collapsing ceilings inside.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 20 Oct. 2025
But in 2016, a bombshell study in Nature concluded that crumbling ice cliffs could trigger a runaway process of retreat, dramatically hastening the timeline.
—Evan Howell, Quanta Magazine, 20 Oct. 2025
The strain that data centers add to our crumbling infrastructure is one of the major ones.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Liverpool’s title defence is crumbling and this is now a crisis for Slot and his side.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The museum was shut down in June by its own striking staff, who said the facility was crumbling under the weight of mass tourism.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2025
Its crumbling buildings swallowed by greenery are starkly beautiful and deeply eerie, even more so as the cooler seasons creep in and sea mists descend.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
Imagine crumbling a slice into a glass of frothed milk and espresso, or layering it with a scoop of ice cream for a decadent twist; the possibilities are endless.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
Caldwell will play a pivotal role as the Wolves and Lynx explore a new arena, search for solutions to the league-wide crumbling of regional sports television networks and try to maximize revenue streams.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
In addition to rampant inflation, goods shortages, and a crumbling labor market, the liquid reserves held in Russia’s National Wealth Fund continue to decline precipitously, down to approximately $35 billion from $117 billion three years ago.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
The dilapidated wooden trim and sagging porticos were spruced up a few years ago after preservationists complained to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, but the upstairs windows reveal glimpses of peeling paint, crumbling plaster, and collapsing ceilings inside.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 20 Oct. 2025
But in 2016, a bombshell study in Nature concluded that crumbling ice cliffs could trigger a runaway process of retreat, dramatically hastening the timeline.
—Evan Howell, Quanta Magazine, 20 Oct. 2025
The strain that data centers add to our crumbling infrastructure is one of the major ones.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Liverpool’s title defence is crumbling and this is now a crisis for Slot and his side.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The museum was shut down in June by its own striking staff, who said the facility was crumbling under the weight of mass tourism.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2025
Its crumbling buildings swallowed by greenery are starkly beautiful and deeply eerie, even more so as the cooler seasons creep in and sea mists descend.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
Imagine crumbling a slice into a glass of frothed milk and espresso, or layering it with a scoop of ice cream for a decadent twist; the possibilities are endless.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumbling
Noun
-
Moscow has not conducted a full nuclear warhead test since the disintegration of the Soviet Union.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Losing sight of this has meant that faculty haven’t been using all of the tools at their disposal to fight the disintegration of tenure-stream employment.—
Time,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The movie, adapted from Ariana Harwicz’s novel of the same name and following a new mother whose mental health starts deteriorating amid their isolated Montana surroundings, features one of Lawrence’s gutsiest, most visceral performances to date.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
-
However, deteriorating or disturbed lead paint — through sanding or stripping — can create toxic dust that poses serious health hazards, particularly to children.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Soaring healthcare costs, cuts to community services, workforce shortages, and ping-ponging federal policy are all worsening a crisis in US health care.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
-
But this worsening food crisis now on a collision course with the issue Democrats are holding firm to fix in this shutdown, looming, skyrocketing health care costs for some 20 million Americans insured through the Affordable Care Act.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Two men, one wearing a yellow vest and a black face covering, and a second wearing all black and a motorbike helmet, can be seen in the video quickly descending in the lift positioned at the side of the museum.—
Zacharie Petit,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
-
On one end, the structure has large terrace-like steps descending into the earth.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Kansas City Star,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The documents contained details of disciplinary action and indicated that Sherrill was prohibited from participating in her 1994 graduation ceremony after declining to identify classmates implicated in a cheating incident.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The country’s bear population is increasing, perhaps because the human population is declining and abandoning rural settlements.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumbling. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share