crumb
gb/kɹˈʌm/ us/kɹˈʌm/
A2
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
a tiny piece of bread or cake
a very small piece of bread or cake
Usage pattern:
a crumb (of) [food]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse crumb (a small piece) with crust (the hard outside part of bread).
Synonyms
speck (very small piece; not limited to food.)
|
bit (more general; can be larger than a crumb.)
Collocations
bread crumb
|cake crumb
|a crumb of bread
|a crumb on the floor
|covered in crumbs
|wipe up the crumbs
|crumbs on the table
|a few crumbs
|leave crumbs
|sweep up crumbs
Themes
food
|daily_life
Examples
- There were crumbs all over the kitchen counter.
- She brushed a crumb off her shirt.
- He gave the dog a crumb of bread.
Learner examples
- I found crumbs on the table.
- Please clean up the crumbs.
Noun
B1
entity
2
a tiny fragment of something
a very small piece of something
Usage pattern:
crumb(s) of [substance]
Common mistake:
This meaning is countable in English (a crumb / crumbs), not usually used as an uncountable noun.
Synonyms
particle (often smaller and more scientific-sounding.)
|
fragment (often suggests a broken piece of a larger whole.)
Collocations
a crumb of dirt
|a crumb of paint
|tiny crumbs
|loose crumbs
|crumbs fell
|crumbs stuck to
|a crumb remained
Themes
daily_life
Examples
- A few crumbs of dried clay fell off the boots.
- She noticed a crumb of paint stuck to the edge of the frame.
- There wasn’t a crumb left of the brittle cookie.
Learner examples
- There are crumbs of dirt on the carpet.
Noun
B2
quantity
3
a very small amount
a very small amount (often of help or comfort)
Usage pattern:
a crumb of [something abstract]
Common mistake:
Often used with 'of' (a crumb of hope), not typically 'a crumb hope'.
Synonyms
trace (emphasizes a barely detectable amount.)
|
hint (often used for information rather than quantity in general.)
Antonyms
abundance (a large, more-than-enough amount.)
|
plenty (a sufficient or large amount.)
Collocations
a crumb of comfort
|a crumb of hope
|a crumb of evidence
|a crumb of information
|a crumb of sympathy
|offer a crumb
Themes
communication
|emotions
Examples
- The report offered only a crumb of evidence to support the claim.
- After days of bad news, she finally got a crumb of hope.
- He showed not a crumb of sympathy.
Learner examples
- The teacher gave me a crumb of help.
Noun
B1
entity
4
breadcrumbs used in cooking
small pieces of bread used in cooking
Usage pattern:
bread crumbs; crumbs as an ingredient
Common mistake:
In this meaning English often uses the plural (bread crumbs / breadcrumbs) even when talking generally.
Synonyms
breadcrumbs (the most common form, especially in US spelling as one word.)
Collocations
bread crumbs
|breadcrumbs
|seasoned crumbs
|coat in crumbs
|roll in crumbs
|sprinkle crumbs
|panko crumbs
|crumb mixture
Themes
food
|cooking
Examples
- Mix the herbs with bread crumbs and sprinkle them over the pasta.
- She coated the fish in crumbs before frying it.
- The recipe calls for a cup of fresh breadcrumbs.
Learner examples
- Add bread crumbs to the mixture.
Verb
B2
action
5
cover food with breadcrumbs
to cover food with breadcrumbs
Usage pattern:
crumb [food]
Common mistake:
This verb is less common than bread (verb) or coat; it is mainly used in recipe-style English.
Synonyms
bread (more common verb meaning 'coat with breadcrumbs'.)
|
coat (general; does not specifically mean breadcrumbs.)
Collocations
crumb the chicken
|crumb the fish
|crumbed cutlets
|crumb and fry
|lightly crumb
Themes
food
|cooking
Examples
- Crumb the cutlets, then bake them until golden.
- He crumbed the fillets and shallow-fried them in olive oil.
- Lightly crumb the vegetables for extra crunch.
Learner examples
- We crumb the chicken before frying.
interjection
informal
B2
event
6
mild exclamation of surprise
a mild word you say when surprised
Usage pattern:
Crumbs! ...
Common mistake:
Usually used as 'Crumbs!' (plural form) and is more common in British English.
Synonyms
gosh (common mild exclamation in many varieties of English.)
|
blimey (more distinctly British and a bit stronger.)
Collocations
Crumbs!
|Crumbs, that hurt!
|Crumbs, look at the time!
Themes
conversation
|emotions
Examples
- Crumbs! I didn’t see you there.
- Crumbs, it’s started raining again.
- Crumbs! That was close.
Grammar
Dictionary form
crumb
IPA
GB/kɹˈʌm/
US/kɹˈʌm/
Syllables & stress
crumb (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (crumb)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: crumb
- Plural: crumbs
Word family
Forms
crumbs
noun
Core family
crumble
verb B1
crumbly
adjective
Related words
breadcrumb
noun
crummy
adjective
Expressions
a crumb of comfort
1/ə kɹˈʌm əv kˈʌmfɚt/
fixed phrase
a small amount of consolation
a little comfort when things are bad
Examples
- The doctor couldn’t promise a cure, but she offered a crumb of comfort.
- The apology gave him a small crumb of comfort after the argument.
- Even a crumb of comfort would have helped at that moment.
crumbs from the table
1/kɹˈʌmz fɹˈʌm ðə tˈeɪbəl/
idiom
small leftover benefits
small leftover benefits after others take the best
Examples
- Workers said they were being offered crumbs from the table while executives profited.
- The charity criticized the plan as crumbs from the table, not real support.
- They refused to settle for crumbs from the table.
leave a trail of crumbs
1/lˈiv ə tɹˈeɪl əv kɹˈʌmz/
fixed phrase
leave clues that can be followed
to leave small clues that people can follow
Examples
- The detective said the suspect left a trail of crumbs across the city.
- The novel leaves a trail of crumbs that points to the real villain.
- She left a trail of crumbs in her emails, and the auditors followed it.
pick up the crumbs
1/pˈɪk ˈʌp ðə kɹˈʌmz/
idiom
deal with what remains
to handle the leftovers or problems after others
Examples
- After the merger, the smaller teams were left to pick up the crumbs.
- He walked away, and she had to pick up the crumbs of the relationship.
- When the crisis ended, it was the local staff who picked up the crumbs.