breadcrumb: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B2Neutral
Quick answer
What does “breadcrumb” mean?
A tiny fragment of bread, typically broken or scraped from a larger loaf or slice.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A tiny fragment of bread, typically broken or scraped from a larger loaf or slice; a small piece of a dry, baked, crumbly food substance.
A navigational aid, especially in computing and web design, referring to a hierarchical trail showing a user's location within a website's structure (e.g., Home > Electronics > Headphones).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. Spelling is consistent. The phrase 'breadcrumb through' (to add breadcrumbs) might be slightly more common in UK recipes than US ones.
Connotations
Identical in both varieties. The computing metaphor is universally understood in tech contexts.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties for both literal and computing senses.
Grammar
How to Use “breadcrumb” in a Sentence
to breadcrumb something (with something)to coat X in breadcrumbsto follow the breadcrumbs to XVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “breadcrumb” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- First, breadcrumb the chicken fillets before frying.
- She carefully breadcrumbed the mushrooms.
American English
- You need to breadcrumb the pork chops before baking.
- The recipe says to breadcrumb the zucchini slices.
adverb
British English
- The topping fell breadcrumb-like onto the pie. (Rare, figurative)
American English
- The plaster crumbled breadcrumb-ily onto the floor. (Rare, non-standard)
adjective
British English
- The breadcrumb mix should be seasoned well.
- We're updating the breadcrumb component in the UI.
American English
- Use a breadcrumb coating for extra crunch.
- Check the site's breadcrumb layout on mobile.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
In UI/UX design and web development meetings: 'We need to implement clear breadcrumb navigation to improve user retention.'
Academic
Rare outside of computer science or interface design papers discussing navigation hierarchies.
Everyday
Primarily in cooking/recipes: 'Mix the herbs into the breadcrumbs before coating the fish.'
Technical
In web documentation: 'Bootstrap includes a built-in component for responsive breadcrumbs.'
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “breadcrumb”
- Using 'breadcrumbs' as an uncountable noun for the physical substance (like flour). Incorrect: 'Add some breadcrumbs.' (Acceptable in recipe context but technically countable). Better: 'Add some breadcrumbs' or 'Add 50g of breadcrumbs.'
- Pluralising the computing term when referring to the feature: 'The breadcrumbs is helpful' vs. 'The breadcrumb navigation is helpful.'
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is one word in modern English (breadcrumb), though historically it was sometimes written as 'bread crumb'.
Yes, especially in cooking contexts. It means to coat food in breadcrumbs (e.g., 'breadcrumb the chicken').
It's a metaphor from the fairy tale 'Hansel and Gretel,' where the children left a trail of breadcrumbs to find their way back. Similarly, website breadcrumbs leave a visual 'trail' for users to see their path and navigate back.
Yes, panko are a specific type of Japanese-style breadcrumb made from crustless white bread, resulting in a lighter, flakier, and crispier coating than traditional Western breadcrumbs.
A tiny fragment of bread, typically broken or scraped from a larger loaf or slice.
Breadcrumb is usually neutral in register.
Breadcrumb: in British English it is pronounced /ˈbredkrʌm/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈbredkrəm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “follow the breadcrumbs”
- “leave a breadcrumb trail”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine Hansel & Gretel dropping BREAD CRUMBS to mark a TRAIL. Now, imagine a website menu showing a similar TRAIL: Home > Products > Shoes.
Conceptual Metaphor
A SMALL PIECE (OF BREAD) STANDS FOR A NAVIGATIONAL MARKER; A PATH IS A TRAIL OF OBJECTS.
Practice
Quiz
In which context would the word 'breadcrumb' most likely NOT be used?