crumbled; crumbling
ˈkrəm-b(ə-)liŋ 
: to break into small pieces
1
: to fall into small pieces : disintegrate
2
: to break down completely : collapse
marriages crumble
1
: something crumbled : fine debris
2
Synonyms
Examples of crumble in a Sentence
Verb
Crumble the cookies into small bits.
The recipe calls for the herbs to be crumbled.
bones so old they had crumbled to dust
She was extremely depressed after her marriage crumbled.
Recent Examples on the Web
Emily Longeretta, Variety, 25 Apr. 2024
Patties are fresh, not frozen, and available as single or double smashburgers, in salad bowls or crumbled into macaroni and cheese served over fries.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 25 Apr. 2024
Yet for generations, the amenities at the base of the thundering, 620-foot waterfall on the western edge of Yosemite Valley have been a raging disappointment: Foul-smelling pit toilets dating back to the 1960s, crumbling asphalt pathways, a crammed dirt parking lot and narrow, slippery trails.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024
The ruling military faces its biggest challenge since first taking control of Myanmar in 1962, caught up in low-intensity conflicts and grappling to steady an economy crumbling after the 2021 coup ended a decade of tentative democracy and reform.
—Reuters, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
The Nuggets would press and press against the Lakers until, eventually, the pressure would be too much and things would crumble.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
In the findings, published on April 9 in Nature's Scientific Reports, researchers in Japan found that writing down your thoughts and feelings after a negative incident on a piece of paper and then shredding it or crumbling it into a ball and throwing it out in a trash bin can dispel anger.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
Mondelēz’s cookie borders are crumbling Need a surefire way to make the European Union angry?
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 17 Apr. 2024
Related article The home insurance market is crumbling.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
Jasmine Grant, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024
Add a sprinkle of the crumble, flaky salt, black pepper and orange zest to all of the leaves.
—Gisela Williams, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
The nose opens with just a whiff of peat, but notes of apple crumble and honey soon take over.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2024
The synthetic rubber of the outfield warning track crumbles beneath your shoes and every 10 seconds or so, the crack of the bat goes off like clockwork.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2024
The central mystery of Kate’s disappearance aside, this has been the most fascinating thing about the entire debacle: watching the picture-perfect artifice constructed by the Royal Family crumble to the ground.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024
Then some of that crumbles and some of it leads him in the wrong path.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024
Set over one year in an isolated 17th century English village, inhabitants turn from prayer to witch-hunting as their society all but crumbles.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024
The spread, priced at $14, comes with queso, pickled jalapeno, taco spiced burger patty, sour cream, and a Frito crumble.
—Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 1 Apr. 2024
Verb
And also, his reaction will define their relationship and either strengthen or crumble it.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 25 Apr. 2024
Patties are fresh, not frozen, and available as single or double smashburgers, in salad bowls or crumbled into macaroni and cheese served over fries.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 25 Apr. 2024
Yet for generations, the amenities at the base of the thundering, 620-foot waterfall on the western edge of Yosemite Valley have been a raging disappointment: Foul-smelling pit toilets dating back to the 1960s, crumbling asphalt pathways, a crammed dirt parking lot and narrow, slippery trails.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024
The ruling military faces its biggest challenge since first taking control of Myanmar in 1962, caught up in low-intensity conflicts and grappling to steady an economy crumbling after the 2021 coup ended a decade of tentative democracy and reform.
—Reuters, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
The Nuggets would press and press against the Lakers until, eventually, the pressure would be too much and things would crumble.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
In the findings, published on April 9 in Nature's Scientific Reports, researchers in Japan found that writing down your thoughts and feelings after a negative incident on a piece of paper and then shredding it or crumbling it into a ball and throwing it out in a trash bin can dispel anger.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
Mondelēz’s cookie borders are crumbling Need a surefire way to make the European Union angry?
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 17 Apr. 2024
Related article The home insurance market is crumbling.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
Noun
Dishes like Sea Grape’s potato and leek soup and Tamarind’s plum crumble dessert were undeniable home runs for us.
—Jasmine Grant, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024
Add a sprinkle of the crumble, flaky salt, black pepper and orange zest to all of the leaves.
—Gisela Williams, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
The nose opens with just a whiff of peat, but notes of apple crumble and honey soon take over.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2024
The synthetic rubber of the outfield warning track crumbles beneath your shoes and every 10 seconds or so, the crack of the bat goes off like clockwork.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2024
The central mystery of Kate’s disappearance aside, this has been the most fascinating thing about the entire debacle: watching the picture-perfect artifice constructed by the Royal Family crumble to the ground.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024
Then some of that crumbles and some of it leads him in the wrong path.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024
Set over one year in an isolated 17th century English village, inhabitants turn from prayer to witch-hunting as their society all but crumbles.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024
The spread, priced at $14, comes with queso, pickled jalapeno, taco spiced burger patty, sour cream, and a Frito crumble.
—Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crumble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near crumble
Cite this Entry
“Crumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crumble. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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