From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcrumblecrum‧ble1 /ˈkrʌmbəl/ ●○○ verb 1 TBFALL[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► see thesaurus at break2 [intransitive, transitive]BREAK 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 cheese3 [intransitive] (also crumble away)PEFFECTIVE 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)→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
crumble• They generally crumble after the first flight, leaving the fans only handfuls of tortilla shrapnel for the throwing.• His circle of advisers and associates is crumbling along with his empire.• The old stonework was crumbling and eroded and badly in need of repair.• Briggs resolve crumbled and he reached for the whisky bottle.• The rubber seal is crumbling and will need to be replaced.• Some of the tiles are crumbling around the edges.• It was all crumbling away in front of him.• Rangoon's old buildings are crumbling from neglect.• Dictator Mobutu Sese Seko's army crumbled, he was toppled, and Kabila was installed in his place.• The autumn leaves crumbled in my fingers.• Crumble the bacon and set aside.• Mrs. Suggs crumbled the bread into hot milk.• Beat the eggs, crumble the cheese, and mix together.• When donned, it crumbles to dust, but it confers the skills Charm, Mime, Mimic and Seduction.permanently.• Its sister mission in Tumacacori was built of adobe and has crumbled under the weight of the years.crumblecrumble2 noun [uncountable] British English DFFa sweet dish of fruit covered with a dry mixture of flour, butter, and sugar and baked apple crumbleExamples from the Corpus
crumble• Muriel kept a flow of small talk steadily through tomato soup, liver casserole and apple crumble.• And if he has the nerve, apple crumble with custard.• You can also use them in crumbles or tarts, cake and bread mixtures.Origin crumble1 Old English gecrymian, from cruma; → CRUMB 