CRUMBLE Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

crumble

verb

ˈkrəm-bəl

Definition of crumble

as in to deteriorate

to become worse or of less value the stock of the energy company crumbled after the revelations of fraud and mismanagement

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of crumble To Kelce, this loss was apparent as last season was crumbling. — Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026 Her relationship with the disapproving Klitschko soon began to crumble. — Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026 The asphalt had crumbled into massive chunks when heavy rain and flooding struck the city about 50 miles east of Indianapolis earlier this week. — Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 17 Aug. 2026 Video shows buildings crumbling to the ground, and rescuers digging through debris in search of people. — Connor Greene, Time, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for crumble

Recent Examples of Synonyms for crumble

Verb

The Associated Press OSLO, Norway -- Crown Prince Haakon visited his father King Harald of Norway on Monday at the hospital, after the king's health deteriorated over the weekend, public broadcaster NRK reported.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Now held with dozens of others in a former luxury hotel turned makeshift prison, the group describe chains, deteriorating conditions, scarce medical care and guards accused of violence.

— Mark Banchereau, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of deteriorate

Verb

Fully unrolled, the canvas was the size of the cargo container, looking like a dust storm descending over a desert town.

— Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
No other spacecraft has ever descended into the moon’s shadowy south polar craters, although NASA did crash a rocket into one in 2009 and watched a resultant plume of water vapor burst out.

— Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of descend

Verb

Ford said in an interview published Monday that Canada should be prepared to cut off electricity exports to the United States if the trade war worsens, putting a potentially powerful weapon on the table.

— Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
According to a recent survey published by Deloitte, consumer sentiment remains shaky, with 57% of Americans expecting the economy to worsen in the next six months — the highest figure the company has reported since 2020.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of worsen

Verb

Watts declined Rolling Stone’s multiple requests for an interview and did not specifically address a majority of questions posed to him in a detailed request for comment.

— Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
When first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury in May, Devers declined to learn the position despite Boston’s dearth of options.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of decline

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crumb

crumble

crumbled

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“Crumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crumble. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of crumble

verb

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