crumble up
B1 neutral separable both
In simple words
To break something into lots of little pieces, like when a dry biscuit falls apart.
Literal meaning: To break apart (crumble) completely (up) into small pieces.
Meanings
1 B1 neutral
To break something dry and brittle into small pieces by squeezing or pressing.
"He crumbled up some crackers and sprinkled them on top of the soup."
Grammar: separable
2 B1 neutral
To fall apart completely into small fragments, especially through age or weakness.
"The ancient manuscript had crumbled up and was barely legible."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
The 'up' is an intensifier showing completeness. Often used with food, rocks, or other dry, brittle materials. Can be transitive ('she crumbled up the crackers') or intransitive ('the old wall crumbled up').
Commonly used with
biscuit cracker rock bread plaster pastry
Forms
Base
crumble up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
crumbles up
he/she/it
Past simple
crumbled up
yesterday
Past participle
crumbled up
have + pp
-ing form
crumbling up
continuous
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Synonyms
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