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."
separable
crumble up
B1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To break or cause to break completely into small dry fragments or crumbs.
In plain English
To break something into lots of little pieces, like when a dry biscuit falls apart.
What does "crumble up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
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."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To break apart (crumble) completely (up) into small pieces.
Actually means
To break something into lots of little pieces, like when a dry biscuit falls apart.
Usage tip
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').
Words that pair with "crumble up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
biscuit cracker rock bread plaster pastry
How to conjugate "crumble up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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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