Definition

1. Noun:

   • A small fragment of bread, cake, or cracker: A tiny piece that breaks off from a dry baked food.
   • A small amount or particle of something non-material: A very small quantity of information, comfort, or another abstract thing.
   • A contemptible person: (Slang, dated) A person considered to be worthless or despicable.

2. Verb:

   • To remove crumbs from a surface: To clean small fragments of food from something, like a table.
   • To break or crumble into small pieces: To reduce something to fragments.
   • To coat with breadcrumbs: To cover food, especially before cooking, with a layer of breadcrumbs.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • She brushed the crumb off the tablecloth. (A small piece of bread.)
  • The report offered not a crumb of useful data. (A tiny amount of information.)
  • He's a rotten crumb for treating her that way. (A contemptible person.)

• Verb:

  • Please crumb the table before setting it for dinner. (Remove crumbs.)
  • Crumb the stale bread to make stuffing. (Break into small pieces.)
  • You should crumb the fish fillets before frying them. (Coat with breadcrumbs.)

Advanced Usage

• "a crumb of comfort": a very small amount of consolation or reassurance.

  • After the devastating loss, the coach's kind words were a crumb of comfort.

• "to crumb something up": to make something messy with crumbs (informal).

  • The kids crumbed up the whole sofa with their crackers.

Variants and Related Words

• Crumby/Crumbly (adj): Easily breaking into small fragments; having a texture that produces crumbs.
  • This pastry is too crumbly.
• Breadcrumb (n): A small fragment of bread, often used for coating food or in cooking.
  • Mix the breadcrumbs with herbs.
• Crumber (n): A tool for removing crumbs from a table.

Synonyms

• Noun (fragment): Fragment, morsel, speck, bit, scrap.
• Noun (small amount): Iota, jot, whit, modicum, scintilla.
• Noun (contemptible person): Cad, rotter, scoundrel, wretch (all dated/formal).
• Verb (break): Crumble, fragment, pulverize.
• Verb (coat): Bread, dredge.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

• Crumb down (verb): To clean crumbs from a surface (similar to the basic verb 'to crumb').
  • Could you crumb down the counter?

Related Idioms

• "To one's last crumb": until one has nothing left.
  • The survivors were starving, down to their last crumb.
• "Crumbs from the rich man's table": insignificant benefits or leftovers given by the wealthy or powerful.
  • The funding for the arts are just crumbs from the rich man's table compared to the corporate subsidies.

Noun

1. small piece of e.g. bread or cake
2. a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
   • only a rotter would do that
   • kill the rat
   • throw the bum out
   • you cowardly little pukes!
   • the British call a contemptible person a `git'
3. a very small quantity of something
   • he gave only a crumb of information about his plans
   • there were few crumbs of comfort in the report

Verb

1. remove crumbs from
   • crumb the table
2. break into crumbs
3. coat with bread crumbs
   • crumb a cutlet