crumb

1 of 2

noun

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 2

verb

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

Examples of crumb in a Sentence

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Asteroids are kind of like crumbs left over from the disk of dust and gas that formed the Sun, planets and moons 4.5 billion years ago. Michael Irving, New Atlas, 30 Jan. 2025 Additionally, the bread crumb labels do not include the allergen declaration in Spanish. Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
Another one walked on top of a bag of bread crumbs on a kitchen rack. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2025 According to Bacardi’s sixth annual 2025 Cocktail Trends Report, multi-sensory and immersive drink experiences and activations will be big in 2025, and late 2024 Google Trends drop bread crumbs that this could be the case. Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for crumb 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of crumb was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near crumb

Cite this Entry

“Crumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crumb. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

crumb

1 of 2 noun
1
: a small piece especially of something baked (as bread)
2
: a little bit
a crumb of good news

crumb

2 of 2 verb
1
: to break into crumbs : crumble
2
: to cover or thicken with crumbs

Biographical Definition

Crumb

biographical name

George Henry 1929–2022 American composer

More from Merriam-Webster on crumb

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