crumble

verb

1. (figuratively, intransitive, often)To fall apart; to disintegrate.

   “The bread roll crumbled when I tried to slice it; it was too stale.”

   “The empire crumbled when the ruler's indiscretions came to light.”

   “Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye? / Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die?”

   “In 1989, as communism was beginning to crumble across Eastern Europe, just a few months before protesters started pecking away at the Berlin Wall, the Japanese game-making giant Nintendo reached across the world to unleash upon America its own version of freedom.”

2. (transitive)To break into crumbs.

   “We crumbled some bread into the water.”

3. (transitive)To mix (ingredients such as flour and butter) in such a way as to form crumbs.

   “Using your fingers, crumble the ingredients with the fingertips, lifting in an upward motion, until the mixture is sandy and resembles large breadcrumbs.”

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)A dessert of British origin containing stewed fruit topped with a crumbly mixture of fat, flour, and sugar.

   “blackberry and apple crumble”