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.
Watch for crust development inside the first two minutes and adjust heat from there. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2026 For steak specifically, the recommendation is to use beef tallow right before searing to get a deep, flavorful crust that locks in juices and delivers a restaurant-quality finish. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026 The crusts are shaped using a crimping technique that, along with a quick baking time at high heat, leads to a unique, varied texture, the website states. — Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 The crust of the tangible world peels away, and hidden spiritual and moral realities become prominent and unmistakable. — Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 9 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
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Cite this Entry

“Crust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crust. Accessed 14 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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