Crumbs are the tiny pieces that break off from bread, crackers, cookies, or cake. After you eat a muffin at the breakfast table, you'll often find crumbs scattered on your plate and maybe a few on your shirt. Birds love finding bread crumbs that people leave in parks, and cookie crumbs at the bottom of the package are either a disappointment or a bonus, depending on how you feel about them.

In cooking, crumbs have their own purpose. Bread crumbs coat chicken cutlets or top casseroles, adding crunch and texture. Cooks make them by crushing dried bread into small pieces. Graham cracker crumbs form the base of many cheesecakes.

The word also describes anything left over in small, unsatisfying amounts. If you studied hard for weeks and only got a few crumbs of praise from your teacher, you received far less recognition than you deserved. When someone offers you crumbs instead of a real opportunity, they're giving you the smallest possible piece of something valuable, like letting you watch a game but not letting you play.