Meanings
crumble1
present singular third person crumbles · participle present crumbling · participle past crumbled · past crumbled · alternative crimble
- figurativelyintransitiveoftenTo fall apart; to disintegrate.
The empire crumbled when the ruler's indiscretions came to light.
3 more examples
The bread roll crumbled when I tried to slice it; it was too stale.
Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye? / Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die?
1978, Dino Fekaris, Freddie Perren, “I Will Survive”, in Love Tracks, performed by Gloria GaynorIn 1989, as communism was beginning to crumble across Eastern Europe, just a few months before protesters started pecking away at the Berlin Wall, the Japanese game-making giant Nintendo reached across the world to unleash upon America its own version of freedom.
2012 April 4, Sam Anderson, “Just One More Game ...”, in The New York Times Magazine
Crumble2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA dessert of British origin containing stewed fruit topped with a crumbly mixture of fat, flour, and sugar.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Englishcruma“crumb”
- Old English*crymlan“to crumble”
- Middle English*crymblen
- Englishcrumble
From earlier crymble, crimble, from Middle English *crymblen, kremelen, from Old English *crymlan (“to crumble”), from *crymel (“a small crumb; crumble”), diminutive of Old English cruma (“crumb”), equivalent to crumb + -le (diminutive suffix). Compare Dutch kruimelen (“to crumble”), German Low German krömmeln (“to crumble”), German Krümel, diminutive of German Krume, German krümeln, krümmeln (“to crumble”). Alteration of vowel due to analogy with crumb.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ψάω
- ψάω (psáō)to fall apart
Bulgarian разпадам се, раздробявам се
- разпадам се (razpadam se)to fall apart
- раздробявам се (razdrobjavam se)to fall apart
- роня (ronja)to render into crumbs
- троша (troša)to render into crumbs
Catalan esmicolar-se (most common fer-se miques), desmoronar-se
- esmicolar-se (most common fer-se miques)to fall apart
- desmoronar-seto fall apart
- derrumbar-seto fall apart
Chinese Mandarin 崩溃, 碎裂
- 崩溃 (bēngkuì)to fall apart
- 碎裂 (suìliè)to render into crumbs
Czech drobit se, drolit se
- drobit seto fall apart
- drolit seto fall apart
- drobitto render into crumbs
- drolitto render into crumbs
Danish forvitre, smuldre
- forvitreto fall apart
- smuldreto fall apart
- hensmuldreto fall apart
- smuldreto render into crumbs
Dutch uit elkaar vallen, verbrokkelen
- uit elkaar vallento fall apart
- verbrokkelento fall apart
- verkruimelento fall apart
- verkruimelento render into crumbs
Esperanto disfali, diseriĝi
- disfalito fall apart
- diseriĝito fall apart
- kolapsito fall apart
- diserigito render into crumbs
- pulvorigito render into crumbs
Finnish murentua, murtua
- murentuato fall apart
- murtuato fall apart
- murentaato render into crumbs
- murentuato render into crumbs
- murustaato render into crumbs
French s'effondrer, effriter
- s'effondrerto fall apart
- effriterto render into crumbs
- émietterto render into crumbs
- crumbledessert
- croustadedessert
German bröckeln, zerbröckeln
- bröckelnto fall apart
- zerbröckelnto fall apart
- zerkrümelnto fall apart
- krümelnto render into crumbs
- zerkrümelnto render into crumbs
- Crumbledessert
Hebrew התפרק, התפורר
- התפרק (hitparék)to fall apart
- התפורר (hitporér)to fall apart
- פורר (porér)to render into crumbs
Hungarian széthullik, szétporlad
- széthullikto fall apart
- szétporladto fall apart
- szertefoszlikto fall apart
- szétmállikto fall apart
- omladozikto fall apart
- összeomlikto fall apart
- összedőlto fall apart
- mállikto fall apart
- omlikto fall apart
- hullto fall apart
- porladto fall apart
- foszlikto fall apart
Italian sgretolarsi, crollare
- sgretolarsito fall apart
- crollareto fall apart
- ridursi in polvereto fall apart
- sbriciolareto render into crumbs
- sbriciolarsito render into crumbs
- sabbiareto mix forming crumbs
Japanese 崩れる, 崩す
- 崩れる (kuzureru)to fall apart
- 崩す (kuzusu)to render into crumbs
Latin friō
- friōto render into crumbs
Māori ngawhere, tāorooro
- ngawhereto fall apart
- tāorooroto fall apart
- ngāhorohoroto fall apart
Norwegian falle i grus, smuldre
- falle i grusto fall apart
- smuldreto render into crumbs
Polish kruszyć, pokruszyć
- kruszyćto fall apart
- pokruszyćto fall apart
Portuguese desmoronar, despedaçar
- desmoronarto fall apart
- despedaçarto render into crumbs
- esfarelarto render into crumbs
Romanian dumica
- dumicato render into crumbs
Russian кроши́ться, раскроши́ться
- кроши́ться (krošítʹsja)to fall apart
- раскроши́ться (raskrošítʹsja)to fall apart
- рассыпа́ться (rassypátʹsja)to fall apart
- рассы́паться (rassýpatʹsja)to fall apart
- кроши́ть (krošítʹ)to render into crumbs
- раскроши́ть (raskrošítʹ)to render into crumbs
Spanish desmigajarse, desmoronarse
- desmigajarseto fall apart
- desmoronarseto fall apart
- desmenuzarseto fall apart
- desmigajarto render into crumbs
- desmenuzarto render into crumbs
- crumbledessert
Swedish crumble, smulpaj
- crumbledessert
- smulpajdessert
Ukrainian розсипа́тися, розси́патися
- розсипа́тися (rozsypátysja)to fall apart
- розси́патися (rozsýpatysja)to fall apart
- криши́тися (kryšýtysja)to fall apart
- розкри́шуватися (rozkrýšuvatysja)to fall apart
- розкриши́тися (rozkryšýtysja)to fall apart
- криши́ти (kryšýty)to render into crumbs
- розкри́шувати (rozkrýšuvaty)to render into crumbs
- розкриши́ти (rozkryšýty)to render into crumbs
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with crumble
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
crumble. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crumble
“crumble.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crumble. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crumble,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crumble.
Source: crumble on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.