crumble1 verbcrumble2 noun
crumblecrum‧ble1 /ˈkrʌmbəl/ ●○○ verb 
Word OriginWORD ORIGINcrumble1
Verb TableOrigin:
Old English gecrymian, from cruma; ➔ CRUMBVERB TABLE
crumble
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | crumble |
| he, she, it | crumbles | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | crumbled |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have crumbled |
| he, she, it | has crumbled | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had crumbled |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will crumble |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have crumbled |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am crumbling |
| he, she, it | is crumbling | |
| you, we, they | are crumbling | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was crumbling |
| you, we, they | were crumbling | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been crumbling |
| he, she, it | has been crumbling | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been crumbling |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be crumbling |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been crumbling |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Crumble the bacon and set aside.
- Beat the eggs, crumble the cheese, and mix together.
- Briggs resolve crumbled and he reached for the whisky bottle.
- His circle of advisers and associates is crumbling along with his empire.
- Mrs. Suggs crumbled the bread into hot milk.
- Rangoon's old buildings are crumbling from neglect.
- Some of the tiles are crumbling around the edges.
- The autumn leaves crumbled in my fingers.
- The rubber seal is crumbling and will need to be replaced.
- Dictator Mobutu Sese Seko's army crumbled, he was toppled, and Kabila was installed in his place.
- It was all crumbling away in front of him.
- Its sister mission in Tumacacori was built of adobe and has crumbled under the weight of the years.
- The old stonework was crumbling and eroded and badly in need of repair.
- They generally crumble after the first flight, leaving the fans only handfuls of tortilla shrapnel for the throwing.
- When donned, it crumbles to dust, but it confers the skills Charm, Mime, Mimic and Seduction.permanently.
THESAURUSto become broken► break
Collocations verb [intransitive] to become damaged and separate into pieces: · Plastic breaks quite easily.
► smash verb [intransitive] to break after being hit with a lot of force: · The bowl smashed as it hit the floor.
► shatter verb [intransitive] to break into a lot of small pieces: · The glass shattered all over the pavement.
► crack verb [intransitive] if something cracks, a line appears on the surface, which means that it could later break into separate pieces: · The ice was starting to crack.
► burst verb [intransitive] if a tyre, balloon, pipe etc bursts, it gets a hole and air or liquid suddenly comes out of it: · She blew up the balloon until it burst.
► split verb [intransitive] to break in a straight line: · The damp had caused the wood to split.
► crumble verb [intransitive] to break into a powder or a lot of small pieces: · The cork just crumbled in my hand.
Longman Language Activatorto break something into a lot of pieces► smash to break something into a lot of small pieces, especially in a violent way, by dropping, throwing, or hitting it: · Firefighters smashed a bedroom window and rescued a two-year-old girl.· Her camera was smashed by soldiers when she tried to take photographs.smash something to pieces/to bits: · The boat hit the rocks and was smashed to pieces by the waves.
► shatter to break something, especially glass, into a lot of very small pieces: · The explosion shattered office windows 500 metres away.· Protesters shattered a glass door and tossed red dye around the entrance.
► crumble to break something, especially food, into very small pieces: · Beat the eggs, crumble the cheese, and mix together.· Mrs. Suggs crumbled the bread into hot milk.
to break into a lot of pieces► break into pieces/bits · One of the mugs rolled off the table and broke into bits on the stone floor.· Investigators are not sure what caused the plane to break into pieces and plunge into the ocean.
► break up if a large object breaks up , it breaks into a lot of pieces especially as a result of natural forces, or serious damage: · The ice breaks up quicker near the shore.· Two of the missiles apparently broke up in flight.· The comet was formed when a planet broke up at some time in the distant past.
► fall to bits/pieces British go to pieces American to break into a lot of small pieces, especially because of being weak, old, or badly made: · The book had been read again and again, until it finally fell to pieces.· I picked the bag up, and it went to pieces in my hands.· The trunk was full of old dresses, some of which were falling to pieces.
► fall apart/come apart to break easily into pieces, especially because of being badly made or very old: · I only bought these shoes last week, and they're falling apart already.· His jacket started coming apart at the seams.
► disintegrate if something disintegrates , it breaks into a lot of small pieces so that it is completely destroyed or so that it completely changes its form: · A 50-foot section of the roadway began to disintegrate after only a few cars had passed over it.· The plane disintegrated in midair.· The mummified man's clothes had disintegrated almost completely, but appeared to be mainly of leather and fur.
► shatter if something, especially glass, shatters , it breaks suddenly into a lot of very small pieces because it has been dropped or hit: · The glass had shattered, but the photograph itself was undamaged.· Storefront windows shattered and roofs blew off during the hurricane.· Don't try to drive nails into the bricks, they may shatter.
► smash to noisily break into pieces as a result of being dropped or hit: · I heard something smash. What broke?smash to pieces/bits: · The bottle rolled off the table and smashed to pieces on the floor.
► splinter if something such as wood splinters , it breaks into thin, sharp pieces: · These types of wood splinter more easily than redwood or cedar.· The coating helps prevent the glass from splintering if it is hit by a rock while you are driving.
► crumble to break easily into a powder or into small pieces, especially as a result of being old or dry: · The autumn leaves crumbled in my fingers.· Some of the tiles are crumbling around the edges.
► burst if something such as a tyre or a pipe bursts , the force of the air, water etc inside makes it break into many pieces: · The Concorde disaster was caused by a tyre bursting.· Thousands of gallons of oil flowed into the river when an oil pipeline burst.
► blow especially American if a tyre blows , it breaks open suddenly and all the air comes out of it: · One of the tires blew and they skidded into the center divider.
buildings or places in bad condition► in bad condition also in a bad state especially British · It's a lovely city, but most of the buildings are in very bad condition.· Considering the bad condition the place is in, the price seems much too high.· The inspectors said the bridge was in a bad state and potentially dangerous.be in a terrible/dreadful etc condition · The house really is in an awful condition - it would cost far too much to repair.
► dilapidated a building that is dilapidated is in very bad condition because it has not been looked after or has not been repaired for a long time: · We stayed in an old, dilapidated hotel with a leaky roof.· Jesse was raised in a large, dilapidated house on the East Side.· Some of the old homes in Newville are well kept, but others are dilapidated.
► run-down a run-down area of a town is one in which the buildings and roads are all in bad condition, especially because the people who live there do not have enough money to look after them properly: · Since the textile company moved out, the area's gotten very run-down.· The men were hiding in an abandoned theater in a run-down part of the city.
► derelict something, such as a house or piece of land, that is derelict is in very bad condition because it has been empty and not used for a very long time: · In the middle of town is a derelict building that used to be the school.· The land behind the factory is stony and derelict.
► ramshackle a building that is ramshackle is in very bad condition and looks as though it is likely to fall down, especially because it was badly built, with cheap materials: · No one had lived in the ramshackle farmhouse for years.
► crumbling a crumbling building or wall is breaking into pieces because it is very old and damaged by the weather: · Tourists wandered through the crumbling remains of an ancient Greek temple.· Elvira lived on a street of old townhouses with crumbling façades.
► tumbledown especially British: tumbledown building/ house/cottage etc use this about a building that is old and beginning to fall down, especially in a way that seems attractive: · We arrived at a tumbledown cottage, surrounded by overgrown rose bushes and a broken fence.· The college was a collection of tumbledown old buildings in Paddington.
to become weak► weaken if someone's power, strength, or determination weakens , it becomes weaker: · By 1945, the country's power was weakening considerably.· The soldiers' morale was beginning to weaken.
► crumble if your determination, courage etc crumbles , it becomes weak or fails: · Briggs' resolve crumbled and he reached for the whisky bottle.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► an empire crumbles
Phrases (=loses power gradually)· The vast empire was beginning to crumble.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► away· It was all crumbling away in front of him.· The rafters were green and the floorboards had crumbled away like old green bread.· And where the old gargoyles are now crumbling away, attempts are being made to replace them, expensive though this is.· The old Lombard aristocracy was gradually crumbling away except in the far north and the distant south.· I thought it would crumble away.· He took it slowly in four-wheel drive, the road much narrower here, the outer edge of it crumbling away.· Our genes may be immortal but the collection of genes that is any one of us is bound to crumble away.· But the building is gradually crumbling away, and the local council says it's powerless to do anything about it.
NOUN► wall· The wall was crumbling and there were great gaps in it.· When the wallpaper was steamed off, some of the walls crumbled.· It was true - walls were crumbling and she had better make sure that new ones were not built.· Some had no floor tiles and their walls were crumbling.
VERB► begin· Its support began to crumble alarmingly even in its own working-class strongholds.· The edifice of pride and power begins to crumble.· If they switch off and the closed-circuit figures drop, the present heady economics of it all begin to crumble.· This was not an inaccurate perception as the walls of segregation began to crumble after the war.· Now the barriers they had sought to erect between philosophy and science began to crumble.· Once that information began to spread into the community the opposition began to crumble.· If not, it will begin to crumble anyway.· When an academic approach is used the theory begins to crumble.
► start· But Gore's meticulous planning was starting to crumble.· Construction quickly starts crumbling and coming apart.· Paper will start to peel from the wall, and in the worst cases plaster will start to crumble.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► that’s the way the cookie crumbles
1[intransitive] (also crumble away) if something, especially something made of stone or rock, is crumbling, small pieces are breaking off it: - "Sorry you didn't get the job, Mike." "Yeah, thanks. I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles."
The old stonework was crumbling away. crumbling colonial buildings► see thesaurus at break2[intransitive, transitive] to break apart into lots of little pieces, or make something do this: The fall leaves crumbled in my fingers. ¼ cup crumbled goat’s cheese3[intransitive] (also crumble away) to lose power, become weak, or fail SYN disintegrate: The Empire began to crumble during the 13th century. our crumbling economy → that’s the way the cookie crumbles at cookie(3)crumble1 verbcrumble2 noun
crumblecrumble2 noun [uncountable] British English ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
word sets- And if he has the nerve, apple crumble with custard.
- Muriel kept a flow of small talk steadily through tomato soup, liver casserole and apple crumble.
- You can also use them in crumbles or tarts, cake and bread mixtures.
WORD SETS► Food/Dish
Collocationsafters, nounalmond, nounanchovy, nounapple, nounapricot, nounartichoke, nounasparagus, nounaspic, nounaubergine, nounavocado, nounbacon, nounbagel, nounbaguette, nounbaked beans, nounbanana, nounbap, nounbarley sugar, nounbatter, nounbear claw, nounbhaji, nounbiscuit, nounbisque, nounblancmange, nounbloater, nounblood orange, nounblue cheese, nounboiled sweet, nounbologna, nounbouillon, nounbread, nounbreadfruit, nounbreast, nounBrie, nounbrioche, nounbroad bean, nounbroccoli, nounbrownie, nounBrussels sprout, nounbubble and squeak, nounbullseye, nounburger, nounburrito, nounbutter, nounbutter bean, nounbutterfat, nounbutterscotch, nounCanadian bacon, nouncanapé, nouncandy apple, nouncandy cane, nouncandyfloss, nouncannelloni, nouncantaloup, nouncaramel, nouncarrot, nouncashew, nouncauliflower, nouncaviar, nouncelery, nouncereal, nouncheddar, nouncheeseburger, nouncheesecake, nounchew, nounchewing gum, nounchicken, nounchicken-fried steak, nounchilli, nounChinese leaves, nounchip, nounchipolata, nounchitterlings, nounchoc, nounchoccy, nounchoc-ice, nounchocolate, nounchocolate chip cookie, nounchop, nounchop suey, nounchowder, nounchow mein, nounChristmas cake, nounChristmas cookie, nounChristmas pudding, nounchutney, nounclementine, nouncock-a-leekie, nouncoconut, nouncod, nouncoleslaw, nouncollard greens, nouncompote, nouncoq au vin, nounCornish pasty, nouncouscous, nouncrème caramel, nouncrepe, nouncrumble, nouncurry, nounDanish, nounDanish pastry, noundessert, noundevil's food cake, noundigestive biscuit, noundill pickle, noundip, noundish, noundoorstep, noundory, noundouble cream, noundouble-decker, noundoughnut, noundressing, noundrumstick, nounduck, noundumpling, nounDundee cake, nounenchilada, nounfaggot, nounfava bean, nounfish, nounfish and chips, nounfishcake, nounfish finger, nounfish stick, nounflapjack, nounfoie gras, nounfondant, nounfondue, nounfortune cookie, nounfrankfurter, noungammon, noungarbanzo, noungâteau, noungelatin, nounghee, noungherkin, noungiblets, nounginger, adjectivegingerbread, nounginger nut, nounglacé, adjectiveglacé icing, noungoose, noungooseberry, noungoulash, noungranola, noungrape, noungrapefruit, noungravy, noungreen bean, noungreengage, noungreen onion, noungreen pepper, noungreen salad, noungriddlecake, nounguacamole, nounhaggis, nounhamburger, nounharicot, nounhash, nounhash browns, nounhazelnut, nounheavy, adjectiveheavy cream, nounhelping, nounhero, nounhock, nounhominy, nounhomogenized, adjectivehoney, nounhors d'oeuvre, nounhorseradish, nounhot-cross bun, nounhot dog, nounhotpot, nounhoumous, nounhuckleberry, nounhumbug, nounhumus, nounice, nouniceberg lettuce, nounice cream, nouningredient, nouninstant, adjectiveIrish stew, nouniron rations, nounjacket potato, nounjalapeño, nounjam, nounjambalaya, nounjawbreaker, nounJell-O, nounjelly, nounjelly baby, nounjelly bean, nounjelly roll, nounjerky, nounJerusalem artichoke, nounkabob, nounkale, nounkebab, nounkedgeree, nounkernel, nounketchup, nounkidney, nounkidney bean, nounkipper, nounkiwi fruit, nounkorma, nounkumquat, nounlamb, nounlasagne, nounleek, nounlemon, nounlemon curd, nounlemon sole, nounlentil, nounlettuce, nounlima bean, nounlime, nounlinguini, nounliquorice, nounliver, nounliver sausage, nounloaf, nounlobster, nounloganberry, nounlollipop, nounlox, nounlozenge, nounluncheon meat, nounlychee, nounmacaroni, nounmacaroon, nounmarzipan, nounmash, nounmatzo, nounmayo, nounmayonnaise, nounmeatball, nounmeatloaf, nounMelba toast, nounmelon, nounmeringue, nounmilk pudding, nounmincemeat, nounmince pie, nounminestrone, nounmixed grill, nounmonkey nut, nounmoussaka, nounmousse, nounmuesli, nounmuffin, nounmulberry, nounmullet, nounmulligatawny, nounmunchies, nounmush, nounmushy peas, nounmuskmelon, nounmussel, nounmutton, nounnachos, nounnan, nounneapolitan, adjectivenectarine, nounnonpareil, nounnoodle, nounnougat, nounoat cake, nounoatmeal, nounomelette, nounopen-faced sandwich, nounopen sandwich, nounorange, nounoven-ready, adjectiveoyster, nounpacked lunch, nounpaella, nounpancake, nounpantry, nounpapaya, nounpaprika, nounparfait, nounParmesan, nounparsley, nounparsnip, nounparson's nose, nounpassion fruit, nounpasta, nounpastrami, nounpastry, nounpasty, nounpâté, nounpatty, nounpavlova, nounpawpaw, nounpea, nounpeach, nounPeach Melba, nounpeanut, nounpeanut butter, nounpear, nounpease pudding, nounpecan, nounpemmican, nounpeppermint, nounpepperoni, nounpersimmon, nounpickle, nounpilchard, nounpineapple, nounpippin, nounpistachio, nounpitta bread, nounpizza, nounplantain, nounplum, nounplum pudding, nounpomegranate, nounpopcorn, nounpoppadom, nounPopsicle, nounpound cake, nounprofiterole, nounpudding, nounquiche, nounradish, nounragout, nounraisin, nounrasher, nounraspberry, nounravioli, nounredcurrant, nounred pepper, nounrelish, nounrice pudding, nounrisotto, nounrissole, nounroly-poly, nounsalad, nounsalsa, nounsamosa, nounsausage roll, nounsavoury, nounschnitzel, nounsemolina, nounshepherd's pie, nounsherbet, nounsoft-boiled, adjectivesole, nounsorbet, nounsoufflé, nounsoup, nounsour cream, nounsoy sauce, nounspaghetti, nounSpam, nounspare ribs, nounspeciality, nounspecialty, nounsponge, nounsubmarine sandwich, nounsuccotash, nounsucker, nounsummer pudding, nounsundae, nounsushi, nounsweet, nounsweetbread, nounsweetie, nounsweet roll, nounSwiss roll, nounSwiss steak, nounsyllabub, nountagliatelle, nounterrine, nountoad-in-the-hole, nounvol-au-vent, nounwafer, nounwaffle, nounwater biscuit, nounwater chestnut, nounwater ice, nounwatermelon, nounweenie, nounWelsh rarebit, nounwhip, nounwhipped cream, nounwhipping cream, nounYorkshire pudding, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► an empire crumbles
Phrases (=loses power gradually)· The vast empire was beginning to crumble.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► that’s the way the cookie crumbles
a sweet dish of fruit covered with a dry mixture of flour, butter, and sugar and baked: - "Sorry you didn't get the job, Mike." "Yeah, thanks. I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles."
apple crumble