crumble

crumble

I

crum‧ble¹ /ˈkrʌmbəl/ verb1. [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
2. [intransitive and transitive] 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 cheese
3. [intransitive] (also crumble away) 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)
     

THESAURUS

■ to become broken
   ▪ break verb [intransitive] to become damaged and separate into pieces: Plastic breaks quite easily.
   ▪ smash verb [intransitive] to break after being hit with a lot of force: The bowl smashed as it hit the floor.
   ▪ shatter verb [intransitive] to break into a lot of small pieces: The glass shattered all over the pavement.
   ▪ crack verb [intransitive] if something cracks, a line appears on the surface, which means that it could later break into separate pieces: The ice was starting to crack.
   ▪ burst verb [intransitive] if a tyre, balloon, pipe etc bursts, it gets a hole and air or liquid suddenly comes out of it: She blew up the balloon until it burst.
   ▪ split verb [intransitive] to break in a straight line: The damp had caused the wood to split.
   ▪ crumble verb [intransitive] to break into a powder or a lot of small pieces: The cork just crumbled in my hand.

II

crumble² noun [uncountable] British English
a sweet dish of fruit covered with a dry mixture of flour, butter, and sugar and baked:
    apple crumble