crumble

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

crum·ble [crumble crumbles crumbled crumbling] verb, noun BrE [ˈkrʌmbl] NAmE [ˈkrʌmbl]
verb
1. intransitive, transitive to break or break sth into very small pieces
•Rice flour makes the cake less likely to crumble.
•~ sth Crumble the cheese over the salad.
2. intransitive if a building or piece of land is crumbling, parts of it are breaking off
•buildings crumbling into dust
•crumbling stonework
•The cliff is gradually crumbling away.
•They live in a crumbling old mansion.
3. intransitive to begin to fail or get weaker or to come to an end
•a crumbling business/relationship
•~ away All his hopes began to crumble away.
•~ into/to sth The empire finally crumbled into dust.
see that's the way the cookie crumbles at ↑way _n.
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
late Middle English: probably from an Old English word related to ↑crumb.

Example Bank:
•She crumbled the dry earth into fine powdery dust.

 
noun (BrE) (NAmE crisp BrE NAmE )uncountable, countable
a ↑dessert (= a sweet dish) made from fruit that is covered with a rough mixture of flour, butter and sugar, cooked in the oven and usually served hot
•apple crumble and custard

Word Origin:
late Middle English: probably from an Old English word related to ↑crumb.
 
See also: ↑crisp

• Từ đồng nghĩa / Synonyms:
  decay, dilapidate, fall apart, crumple, tumble, break down, collapse