crumb
1 of 2noun
ˈkrəm 
1
a
: a small fragment especially of something baked (such as bread)
b
: a porous aggregate of soil particles
2
: bit
a crumb of good news
3
: the soft part of bread
4
slang : a worthless person
crumb
2 of 2verb
crumbed; crumbing; crumbs
transitive verb
1
: to break into crumbs
2
: to cover or thicken with crumbs
3
: to remove crumbs from
crumb a table
Synonyms
Noun
- ace
- bit
- dab
- dram
- driblet
- glimmer
- hint
- lick
- little
- mite
- nip
- ounce
- particle
- peanuts
- ray
- scintilla
- scruple
- shade
- shadow
- shred
- skosh
- smack
- smell
- smidgen
- smidgeon
- smidgin
- smidge
- snap
- soupçon
- spark
- spatter
- speck
- splash
- spot
- sprinkling
- strain
- streak
- suspicion
- tad
- touch
- trace
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun He swept the crumbs from under the table. a neglected dog who is desperate for any crumb of affection he might get from strangers
Recent Examples on the Web
Marc Bona, cleveland, 2 Sep. 2022 The churros here were the lightest and most delicate of all sampled for this story, with a razor-thin crispy exterior which gave way to an airy crumb that melted away in seconds. Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Aug. 2022 Press a crunchy shortbread cookie crumb crust into the base of each medium-size egg, then pour in a creamy, no-bake lime-cream cheese filling and chill. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2022 When food news breaks, Nightcap is here for every last morsel and crumb. Allison Morrow, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022 My dad, an avid hobby baker, likes his cookies crunchy and is always perfecting his crumb. Julia O'malley, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Aug. 2022 This leaves the yeast free to lighten the buttery dough to a melting, airy crumb. Ruby Tandoh, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2022 The crumb is moist and a little sticky and has a tart, cidery flavor like Belgian lambic ale. New York Times, 18 Jan. 2022 Although the recipe for upside-down cake is straightforward, there are some best practices for the most tender crumb and a fruit topping that’s just sweet enough without being all cloying. New York Times, 28 July 2022 New York Times, 20 Oct. 2021 Choose a 1-pound loaf of country, rustic, sweet French or even sourdough, one with a tighter (not too airy) crumb that can soak up liquid. Christian Reynoso, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Nov. 2020 Rather, the concept is summed up in one word: simplicity — just like a streusel crumb that elevates a muffin or danish to a next level while keeping the beauty intact. Alixel Cabrera, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Aug. 2020 The bread crumb channel sent an indication that the ship had achieved its minimum distance from Bennu, 65 meters. Chris Wright, Wired, 8 June 2020 The Jets’ defensive line ended up crumbing around Williams—Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson are both playing elsewhere—but the former USC product has been a valuable inside force. Conor Orr, SI.com, 29 May 2018 In a later email, Kohler said that the power had been restored at 8:30 p.m.Neither Smith nor Hunter could say whether the storm had caused erosion on Quinhagak's already crumbing shoreline. Anna Rose Macarthur, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Dec. 2017 President Donald Trump gave condolences to everyone involved in the accident, but not before placing blame on U.S.'s crumbing infrastructure, a problem that stretches across all of America. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 18 Dec. 2017 The company, Water Lilies Food Inc. of Astoria, N.Y., was notified by an ingredient supplier that bread crumbs the company used potentially contained milk, the USDA said. Carrie Wells, baltimoresun.com, 8 June 2017 See More
Noun
Fifth course Olive-oil cake - vanilla crumb, blackberry compote. Marc Bona, cleveland, 2 Sep. 2022 The churros here were the lightest and most delicate of all sampled for this story, with a razor-thin crispy exterior which gave way to an airy crumb that melted away in seconds. Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Aug. 2022 Press a crunchy shortbread cookie crumb crust into the base of each medium-size egg, then pour in a creamy, no-bake lime-cream cheese filling and chill. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2022 When food news breaks, Nightcap is here for every last morsel and crumb. Allison Morrow, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022 My dad, an avid hobby baker, likes his cookies crunchy and is always perfecting his crumb. Julia O'malley, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Aug. 2022 This leaves the yeast free to lighten the buttery dough to a melting, airy crumb. Ruby Tandoh, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2022 The crumb is moist and a little sticky and has a tart, cidery flavor like Belgian lambic ale. New York Times, 18 Jan. 2022 Although the recipe for upside-down cake is straightforward, there are some best practices for the most tender crumb and a fruit topping that’s just sweet enough without being all cloying. New York Times, 28 July 2022 Verb
The dredge is seasoned flour, beaten egg and panko, the Japanese bread crumb that fries up so crispy and airy. New York Times, 20 Oct. 2021 Choose a 1-pound loaf of country, rustic, sweet French or even sourdough, one with a tighter (not too airy) crumb that can soak up liquid. Christian Reynoso, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Nov. 2020 Rather, the concept is summed up in one word: simplicity — just like a streusel crumb that elevates a muffin or danish to a next level while keeping the beauty intact. Alixel Cabrera, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Aug. 2020 The bread crumb channel sent an indication that the ship had achieved its minimum distance from Bennu, 65 meters. Chris Wright, Wired, 8 June 2020 The Jets’ defensive line ended up crumbing around Williams—Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson are both playing elsewhere—but the former USC product has been a valuable inside force. Conor Orr, SI.com, 29 May 2018 In a later email, Kohler said that the power had been restored at 8:30 p.m.Neither Smith nor Hunter could say whether the storm had caused erosion on Quinhagak's already crumbing shoreline. Anna Rose Macarthur, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Dec. 2017 President Donald Trump gave condolences to everyone involved in the accident, but not before placing blame on U.S.'s crumbing infrastructure, a problem that stretches across all of America. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 18 Dec. 2017 The company, Water Lilies Food Inc. of Astoria, N.Y., was notified by an ingredient supplier that bread crumbs the company used potentially contained milk, the USDA said. Carrie Wells, baltimoresun.com, 8 June 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English crumme, from Old English cruma; akin to Middle High German krume crumb
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing crumb
Kids Definition
crumb
noun
ˈkrəm
1
: a very small piece of food
bread crumbs
2
: a little bit
She only overheard crumbs of their conversation.
Biographical Definition
Crumb
biographical name
ˈkrəm
George Henry 1929– American composer
crumbs
noun
1
as in little
a very small amount a neglected dog who is desperate for any crumb of affection he might get from strangers Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- little
- splashes
- specks
- sprinklings
- bits
- glimmers
- hints
- touches
- licks
- particles
- traces
- bites
- flecks
- handfuls
- peanuts
- dabs
- shadows
- sparks
- slivers
- shreds
- streaks
- spatters
- mites
- ounces
- driblets
- nips
- smacks
- shades
- smells
- scruples
- drops
- rays
- spots
- pinches
- smidgens
- smidges
- soupçons
- dashes
- drams
- scraps
- morsels
- grains
- smidgeons
- suspicions
- nibbles
- snaps
- granules
- skoshes
- aces
- smidgins
- parts
- strains
- molecules
- dots
- scintillas
- fragments
- tastes
- chips
- flakes
- whits
- drops in the bucket
- patches
- atoms
- portions
- flyspecks
- syllables
- motes
- vestiges
- doses
- semblances
- jots
- shards
- minimums
- nubbins
- splinters
- minima
- sections
- scatterings
- shavings
- iotas
- handsful
- minims
- hoots
- clippings
- smatterings
- tittles
- tatters
- shivers
- modicums
- parings
- smithereens
- smatters
- shots
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- masses
- piles
- quantities
- fistfuls
- bushels
- buckets
- loads
- mountains
- messes
- heaps
- stacks
- gobs
- pecks
- wads
- bundles
- barrels
- lots
- deals
- abundances
- rafts
- reams
- scads
- wealths
- oodles
- boatloads
- volumes
- lashings
- much
- surpluses
- chunks
- excesses
- profusions
- potfuls
- lumps
- lashins
- overflows
- embarrassments
- passels
- slabs
- plenties
- superfluities
- bonanzas
- hunks
- overages
- overmuch
- overkills
- surfeits
- oversupplies
- overabundances
- superabundances
2
as in specks
a very small piece eating pretzels in bed got crumbs between the sheets Synonyms & Similar Words
- specks
- scraps
- flecks
- particles
- bits
- mouthfuls
- grains
- snippets
- bites
- patches
- morsels
- slivers
- granules
- molecules
- licks
- nuggets
- drops
- fragments
- atoms
- flyspecks
- dribbles
- motes
- scruples
- nubbins
- snips
- traces
- nibbles
- whispers
- dashes
- shards
- pinches
- chips
- fractions
- shreds
- streaks
- flakes
- tittles
- portions
- touches
- mites
- nutshells
- sections
- tastes
- parts
- ounces
- driblets
- tidbits
- clippings
- whits
- splinters
- dabs
- spots
- shavings
- halfpence
- jots
- smidgens
- smidges
- titbits
- iotas
- suspicions
- minims
- smidgeons
- halfpennies
- shivers
- aces
- ha'pennies
- smatters
- smidgins
- strains
- haets
- kennings
- parings
- modicums
- smithereens
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- chunks
- lumps
- slabs
- masses
- piles
- gobs
- quantities
- hunks
- bushels
- loads
- buckets
- mountains
- heaps
- pots
- stacks
- volumes
- barrels
- deals
- abundances
- rafts
- pecks
- wads
- scads
- wealths
- profusions
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
- jerks
- dogs
- bastards
- clowns
- vermin
- skunk
- creeps
- skunks
- heels
- rats
- louses
- brutes
- beasts
- buggers
- snakes
- stinkers
- swine
- bounders
- idiots
- jokers
- scums
- cruds
- rotters
- morons
- scumbags
- dirtbags
- pills
- boors
- brats
- varmints
- schmucks
- buzzards
- slobs
- reptiles
- toads
- louts
- blighters
- curs
- hounds
- slimes
- stinkards
- finks
- sods
- bleeders
- nuisances
- nuts
- slimeballs
- fools
- churls
- cads
- villains
- cretins
- scabs
- scuzzballs
- savages
- chuffs
- wretches
- sleazes
- sons of guns
- sleazeballs
- barbarians
- nerds
- sleazebags
- so-and-sos
- rat finks
- vulgarians
- so-and-so's
- scoundrels
- loudmouths
- lowlifes
- snots
- rascals
- boobies
- imbeciles
- miscreants
- snobs
- dolts
- roughnecks
- cavemen
- lowlives
- scamps
- dopes
- airheads
- turkeys
- goons
- rogues
- snips
- dinks
- blockheads
- pests
- dufuses
- ninnies
- schmoes
- nits
- jackasses
- nincompoops
- dorks
- snoots
- doofuses
- dweebs
- nitwits
- Neanderthals
- half-wits
- insolents
- birdbrains
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- idols
- heroes
- ladies
- gentlemen
- saints
- angels
- role models
- heroines
- juttying
- juv
- juvabione
- Juvenal
- juvenal plumage
- juvenalian
- juvenals
- juvenescence
- juvenescences
- juvenescent
- juvenile
- juvenile court
- juvenile delinquency
- juvenile delinquent
- juvenile delinquents
- juvenile diabetes
- juvenile hormone
- juvenile insurance
- juvenile officer
- juvenile-onset diabetes
- juvenilenesses
- juveniles
- juvenilia
- eutychianism
- euxenite