crust

noun

ˈkrəst How to pronounce crust (audio)
Synonyms of crust
1
a
: the hardened exterior or surface part of bread
b
: a piece of this or of bread grown dry or hard
2
a
: the pastry shell of a pie : piecrust
b
: the bready layer that forms the foundation of a pizza
3
: a hard or brittle external coat or covering: such as
a
: a hard surface layer (as of soil or snow)
b
: the outer part of a planet, moon, or asteroid composed essentially of crystalline rocks
c
: a deposit built up on the interior surface of a wine bottle during long aging
d
: an encrusting deposit (as of the eye) of dried secretions or exudate
also : scab
4
: gall, nerve
crust verb
crustal
ˈkrə-stᵊl How to pronounce crust (audio)
adjective
crustless
ˈkrəs(t)-ləs How to pronounce crust (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of crust

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Examples of crust in a Sentence

Her children prefer to eat their sandwiches with the crust cut off. a pie with flaky crust He likes pizza with thin crust.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
This recipe for double crust apple pie delivers a mix of tart and sweet along with cinnamon that is crispy, delicious and is worth the indulgence. — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026 Trim the crust from the brioche slices and cut them diagonally into 2 triangles. — Candy Hom, AJC.com, 24 Oct. 2026 This new epoch is one in which the dynamics of the Earth System are shaped by human influence and in which our traces are etched permanently into the planet’s crust. — Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026 Uncover pot, reduce oven temperature to 375°, and continue to bake bread until crust is deeply browned, 35–40 minutes more. — Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for crust

Word History

Etymology

Middle English crouste, cruste, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French cruste, crouste, going back to Latin crusta "hard coating or surface layer, shell of an arthropod or crustacean, mineral flake, stone slab used in paneling," perhaps, if going back to *krus-to- "something crushed or pounded into a hard layer," from a zero-grade nominal derivative of Indo-European *kreu̯s- "beat, crush, pound," whence also Old English hruse "earth, ground," Old High German roso, rosa "crust, layer of ice" (going back to Germanic *hrusōn-) — more at anacrusis

Note: The hypothetical base *krus-to- is suggested by Michiel de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages (Leiden: Brill, 2008), p. 147, though the older handbooks (Walde-Hoffman, Ernout-Meillet) tend to support a connection with Greek krýos "icy cold, frost" and other derivatives, going back to a presumed homonymous *krus- (see cryo-). As de Vaan points out, however, Latin crusta does not mean "ice." The original sense of the Germanic noun *hrusōn- is not certain. Greek krýstallos "ice, rock crystal" is almost certainly unrelated (see crystal entry 1).

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of crust was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing crust

Rhymes for crust

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Browse Nearby Words

Crusoe
crust
crustacea
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crust. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

crust

noun
ˈkrəst How to pronounce crust (audio)
1
a
: the hardened outside surface of bread
b
: a piece of dry hard bread
2
: the pastry cover of a pie
3
a
: a hard surface layer
a crust of snow
b
: the outer part of the earth
crustal
ˈkrəs-təl How to pronounce crust (audio)
adjective

Medical Definition

crust

noun
ˈkrəst How to pronounce crust (audio)
1
: scab sense 2
2
: an encrusting deposit of serum, cellular debris, and bacteria present over or about lesions in some skin diseases (as impetigo or eczema)
crust verb
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