crust

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountable

   The hard, outer layer of bread or pastry.

   Grammar: Countable when you mean a piece: 'a crust'; uncountable when you mean the layer: 'covered in crust'.

   Patterns

   • a crust of bread
   • cut the crusts off

   He always cuts the crusts off his sandwiches.

   The pie had a golden, flaky crust.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountabletechnical

   The hard outer layer of a planet, especially the Earth.

   Grammar: Often used with 'the': the Earth's crust. Usually singular in this sense.

   Patterns

   • the Earth's crust
   • the crust of a planet

   The Earth's crust is thinner under the oceans.

   Earthquakes happen when the crust moves suddenly.

3. 3nouncountable or uncountable

   A hard, dry layer that forms on something, such as snow, dirt, or a wound.

   Grammar: Often used with 'a' or 'the': a crust of snow, a crust on the wound.

   Patterns

   • a crust of snow
   • a crust on something

   A thin crust of ice covered the puddles.

   A crust formed over the cut as it healed.

Word forms

Common combinations

a crust of bread

He ate a crust of bread with his soup.

the Earth's crust

The Earth's crust is made of rock.

a crust of snow

A crust of snow had frozen on top.

cut the crusts off

She cut the crusts off the sandwiches for the children.

Synonyms and how they differ

shell

Shell is a hard outer covering, often of an animal or nut; crust is usually of bread, pastry, or a planet.

rind

Rind is the thick outer skin of fruit or cheese; crust is harder and drier.

Word family

crusty adjective

Having a hard outer layer, or (of a person) easily annoyed.

crusted adjective

Covered with a hard layer: mud-crusted boots.

Commonly confused: crust or crust (vs. crest)?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “crust”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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