I. crum ‧ ble 1 /ˈkrʌmb ə l/ BrE AmE verb
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: gecrymian , from cruma ; ⇨ ↑ crumb ]
1 . [intransitive] ( also crumble away ) if something, especially something made of stone or rock, is crumbling, small pieces are breaking off it:
The old stonework was crumbling away.
crumbling colonial buildings
2 . [intransitive and 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 cheese
3 . [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)
• • •
THESAURUS
■ to become broken
▪ break 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.
II. crumble 2 BrE AmE noun [uncountable] British English
a sweet dish of fruit covered with a dry mixture of flour, butter, and sugar and baked:
apple crumble