crumbs

noun

plural of crumb
1
as in specks
a very small amount a neglected dog who is desperate for any crumb of affection he might get from strangers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in particles
a very small piece eating pretzels in bed got crumbs between the sheets

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in jerks
slang a person whose behavior is offensive to others if I ever start behaving as obnoxiously as those crumbs, be sure to give me a good slap on the kisser

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 crumbs Today’s recipe Fresh, crunchy bread crumbs add contrast to this light chickpea and escarole soup that eats like a hearty meal. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2026 Though the challenges are mostly great, the bakers struggle to rise to the occasion, to be the best thing since sliced bread, to eat and leave no crumbs, and all the other bread puns that are still in Noel’s drafts folder. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026 Ippin Teriyaki & Katsu The Bay Area Japanese restaurant chain specializes in Japanese katsu, which is fried chicken made with panko bread crumbs, and teriyaki dishes. — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Lahsooni Oysters — topped with chili garlic butter, amul cheese, sooji rusk crumbs and chives, pulled from the menu at Adi’s Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Ishq in New York. — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026 Fastidious critics are left with nothing but crumbs to scatter on a trail of discussion leading to the door of a theatre, and readers have to extrapolate critics’ full opinions from the fragmentary account that could be written before release. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2026 Uncover and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is puffed and appears dry, and a toothpick inserted into the brownie portion near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 Cookie lovers searching the streets of New York City for a certain particularly gooey, thick and chewy dessert were left with crumbs this weekend after a local cookie chain abruptly shut its doors. — New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumbs
  1. specks
  2. particles
  3. jerks
  4. splashes
  5. flecks
  6. dogs
  7. sprinklings
  8. scraps
Noun
  • The source was generally in good condition, but mold spots and dense clusters of small white specks required careful treatment.
    — Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Breakouts can look like milder, painless white bumps or dark specks known as whiteheads and blackheads, or more painful red bumps and deeper cysts — a mark of cystic acne.
    — Adithi Ramakrishnan, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of specks
Noun
  • So the scattering of the particles has a strong dependence on the substrate.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026
  • New virus particles will then exit the cell to infect its neighbors.
    — Karin Wuertz-Kozak, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of particles
Noun
  • This book includes nothing from Elain’s perspective; hopefully, the next book will prioritize her and possibly offer some magical explanation for why the rest of the Night Court has been such jerks to one another in this novel.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Lee and his Burning co-writer Oh Jung-mi resist what might have been the first instinct of many filmmakers by refusing to make Ye-ji and Sang-woo overly patronizing rich jerks.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of jerks
Noun
  • The apron is built to take a beating—oils and rogue splashes barely register, practically rolling right off the surface.
    — Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Jazz fusion keyboardist George Duke, however, plays wild splashes of melody on an electric piano in the empty spaces between Waits’s lines.
    — Al Shipley, SPIN, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of splashes
Noun
  • The oversized jacket featured a furry white base adorned with flecks of silver, which beautifully mirrored the sumptuous coats on the runway.
    — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Add the torn basil and process just until incorporated -- there will be flecks of green in the mixture.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of flecks
Noun
  • Staff often greet regulars – and their dogs – by name with a warm question about their day.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Cadaver dogs also alerted to the scent of a corpse in the vehicle.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of dogs
Noun
  • My grandmother’s version typically called just for the addition of generous sprinklings of Lawry’s garlic salt and black pepper—and that’s it.
    — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 12 June 2026
Definition of sprinklings
Noun
  • There are scraps of industrial, cybergrind, metalcore, and death metal in this stew, as well as a healthy garnish of Godflesh’s machinelike relentlessness, all of it well balanced.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The patchwork bag is made from the soft leather and suede scraps left over from the creation of Coach bags.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of scraps

Browse Nearby Words

crumbly
crumbs
crumminess
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crumbs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumbs. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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