crumb

IPA/krʌm/
KK[krˈʌm]IPA/krʌm/

crumb — noun

  • crumbsingular
  • crumbsplural

1. one tiny bit that drops from bread, cake, or other baked food

1.nounA2
Definition

one tiny bit that drops from bread, cake, or other baked food

Example

Tanvi brushed the cake crumbs from her skirt before the meeting started.

brush crumbs from + surface

A few bread crumbs fell onto the table as Christopher tore the roll.

bread crumbs

Common collocations
  • bread crumbs
  • cake crumbs
  • brush away crumbs
Synonyms
  • particle

    more general and less strongly connected with food

  • speck

    usually suggests something even smaller, often dust or dirt

  • fragment

    more formal and used for many kinds of broken pieces

Usage Note

Usually plural when talking about the small pieces left on a plate, table, or clothes. The singular form is more common when you mean one tiny piece.

Common Mistakes

There were bread crumb all over the plate.
There were bread crumbs all over the plate.
Use the plural form when several small pieces are scattered around.

2. just a tiny bit of something, sometimes almost none at all

2.nounB2
Definition

just a tiny bit of something, sometimes almost none at all

Example

Rodrigo showed not a crumb of pity when the boys begged.

not a crumb of + noun

By noon, Esme had used every crumb of butter in the fridge.

every crumb of + noun

Common collocations
  • not a crumb of pity
  • every crumb of food
  • a crumb of hope
Synonyms
  • bit

    more informal and much broader in use

  • trace

    often used for a very small sign or remaining amount

  • hint

    usually refers to a slight sign or suggestion rather than a physical amount

Grammar Patterns

not a crumb of + noun

every crumb of + noun

Usage Note

Often used to stress that almost nothing remains, especially in patterns like not a crumb of pity or every crumb of food.

Common Mistakes

I need a crumb more chairs for dinner.
I need a few more chairs for dinner.
Crumb can describe an amount, but not a number of separate countable objects.

3. a very unpleasant person you strongly dislike or despise

3.nounC2
Definition

a very unpleasant person you strongly dislike or despise

Example

Everyone knew the landlord was a crumb after he kept the deposit.

be a crumb

Tanvi called the online scammer a crumb and blocked the account.

call somebody a crumb

Common collocations
  • real crumb
  • call somebody a crumb
Synonyms
  • jerk

    common informal insult, but often milder

  • lowlife

    stronger and suggests very bad moral character

  • creep

    focuses more on unpleasant or disturbing behaviour

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be a crumb

call somebody a crumb

Usage Note

Informal and strongly insulting. It is used for someone seen as selfish, cruel, or dishonest, not for a simple mistake.

crumb — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun sense 1, crumb is smaller and lighter than piece or bit. A piece can be any size, so a piece of cake may still be enough to eat, but a crumb is only a tiny broken bit left behind. Bit is informal and works for many substances or situations, so it is closer to noun sense 2 when you mean a small amount. Speck suggests something extremely small that is often barely visible, such as dust or paint. Morsel means a small bite of food that is still worth eating, while a crumb often feels accidental or leftover. Compare: 'There were cake crumbs on the plate' and 'She saved one last morsel of pie.'

piece ↗bit ↗speck ↗morsel ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Crumb comes from Old English cruma, first used for the inside or a small broken bit of bread. Modern English kept the idea of something tiny that breaks off food, then widened it to mean a very small amount. The rare verb senses grew from the same image: making something into crumbs, covering food with crumbs, or brushing crumbs away.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Verb