crumbs
crumbs Lexical Profile
crumbs Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Small fragments of bread, cake, or biscuit that have broken or fallen off.
"She brushed the toast crumbs off the kitchen table into her hand."
Meager portions, tiny amounts, or small remnants of something desirable, such as comfort, information, or affection.
"The detective pieced together the case from the few crumbs of evidence left at the scene."
• interjection
British Used as a mild exclamation to express surprise, dismay, or annoyance.
"Crumbs, I had no idea it was already past midnight!"
• verb
To coat food with breadcrumbs before cooking or frying (third-person singular simple present of crumb).
"The chef dips each fish fillet in beaten egg and crumbs it evenly before frying."
To clear crumbs from a table or tablecloth between courses of a meal (third-person singular simple present of crumb).
"The waiter politely crumbs the tablecloth before serving dessert."
To break bread, cake, or cheese into small fragments (third-person singular simple present of crumb).
"She crumbs the stale bread into a bowl to make stuffing."
• Rhymes for crumbs
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'cruma', meaning a small bit of bread or fragment, derived from a West Germanic root related to scraping or pulling to pieces. The British interjection 'crumbs!' originated in the late 19th century as a minced oath or euphemistic substitute for 'Christ!'.