← DictionaryBreadcrumb
also called breadcrumb trail
A small trail of links showing where a page sits in the hierarchy.
The "you are here" line near the top.
What It Is
Breadcrumb sits on the Website side of the work, in the Structure area. The working definition is simple: a small trail of links showing where a page sits in the hierarchy.
It is a label with a settled working definition, so the value is in using it the same way every time. That is the version worth keeping, because it survives contact with a real project.
How It's Used
Breadcrumb comes up in site builds, page structure and the technical decisions underneath them. It is usually discussed together with Site Structure, Navigation and Information Architecture. The practical test is whether everyone in the room means the same thing by it.
Why It Matters
Getting Breadcrumb wrong is expensive in a quiet way. When it is unclear, the site still launches — it just quietly underperforms. It is worth pinning down before anyone builds on top of it.
Think of it as a name on a box. Open the box and this is what is inside: The "you are here" line near the top.
Termshift™
How the meaning shifts depending on who is using it, and where.
Practitioners use Breadcrumb as shorthand and expect no explanation — a small trail of links showing where a page sits in the hierarchy.
Outside the industry, most people would just say: the "you are here" line near the top.
The Bottom Line
Treat Breadcrumb as a decision, not a description. The "you are here" line near the top.