Crumb
/krʌm/
Definitions
2 meaningsA small fragment or piece, often of bread or cake, but can refer to anything fragmented.
/krʌm/
A small fragment of something, especially bread or cake.
He spilled crumbs all over the kitchen counter while making toast.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're eating a cookie and a tiny little piece falls off. That's a crumb! It's like a small, broken-off bit of something, like a tiny piece of cake that has been broken apart. It's so small that it's easy to pick up.
👶 For kids: A tiny, tiny piece of food that breaks off.
More Examples
The bird ate the crumbs that fell from the picnic table.
She carefully gathered the bread crumbs to make stuffing.
How It's Used
"She brushed the crumbs off the table after the meal."
"The child left crumbs all over the floor."
To break into small pieces; to cause something to break into small pieces.
/krʌm/
To break or crumble into small pieces.
He crumbled the bread over the salad.
💡 Simply: To crumb something is like smashing something into a bunch of tiny pieces. Think about it: you're breaking something apart into little bits.
👶 For kids: To break something into small pieces.
More Examples
The old castle's walls began to crumble.
She crumbled the cookies and sprinkled them on the ice cream.
How It's Used
"She crumbles the crackers into the soup."
"The old building crumbled over time."
Idioms & expressions
not a crumb
Not a single bit; nothing at all.
"He ate the entire cake; there wasn't a crumb left."
From Middle English crom, from Old English cruma, related to German Krume (crumb) and Dutch kruim (crumb).
The word "crumb" has been used in English since the Old English period, originally referring to small pieces of bread.
Memory tip
Think of a tiny piece of bread that has broken off – that's a crumb!