crumble
verbVerb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they crumble | |
| he / she / it crumbles | |
| past simple crumbled | |
| past participle crumbled | |
| -ing form crumbling |
- [intransitive, transitive]
to break or break something into very small pieces （使）破碎，成碎屑 - [intransitive]
if a building or piece of land is crumbling, parts of it are breaking off 坍塌；损坏；崩裂 buildings crumbling into dust 渐渐坍塌的建筑物 crumbling stonework 不断破裂的石制建筑 The cliff is gradually crumbling away. 峭壁正在逐渐崩坍。 They live in a crumbling old mansion. 他们住在一栋摇摇欲坠的老房子里。
- [intransitive]
to begin to fail or get weaker or to come to an end （开始渐渐）衰退，衰弱；崩溃；瓦解；消亡 a crumbling business/relationship 逐渐衰败的企业；日益恶化的关系 - crumble away
All his hopes began to crumble away. 他所有的希望开始化为泡影。 - crumble into/to something
The empire finally crumbled into dust. 这个帝国最终崩溃了。
Word Originlate Middle English: probably from an Old English word related to crumb.
Idioms
that’s the way the cookie crumbles
- (informal)
that is the situation and we cannot change it, so we must accept it 情况就是这样；没有别的办法