rupture
Americannoun
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ruptures
plural
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the act of breaking or bursting.
The flood led to the rupture of the dam.
-
the state of being broken or burst.
a rupture in the earth's surface.
-
a breach of harmonious, friendly, or peaceful relations.
-
Pathology. hernia, especially abdominal hernia.
verb (used with object)
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ruptures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ruptured,
past participle, past
-
rupturing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
ruptures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ruptured,
past participle, past
-
rupturing
present participle
noun
-
the act of breaking or bursting or the state of being broken or burst
-
a breach of peaceful or friendly relations
-
pathol
-
the breaking or tearing of a bodily structure or part
-
another word for hernia
-
verb
-
to break or burst or cause to break or burst
-
to affect or be affected with a rupture or hernia
-
to undergo or cause to undergo a breach in relations or friendship
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonrupturenoun
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nonrupturableadjective
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rupturableadjective
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unrupturableadjective
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unrupturedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rupturesimple
-
rupturessimple
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have rupturedperfect
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has rupturedperfect
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am rupturingprogressive
-
are rupturingprogressive
-
is rupturingprogressive
-
have been rupturingperfect progressive
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has been rupturingperfect progressive
Past
-
rupturedsimple
-
had rupturedperfect
-
was rupturingprogressive
-
were rupturingprogressive
-
had been rupturingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rupture
1475–85; < Latin ruptūra (noun), equivalent to rupt ( us ) (past participle of rumpere to break) + -ūra -ure
Explanation
A rupture is a break or tear in something that pulls it apart. A rupture can be a literal break, like the one that happens in, say, a gas line, or it can be more figurative, as in a friendship or a business deal. The oil spill was less of a spill than it was a rupture: the line leading to the well was severed, allowing the oil to flow into the ocean. Rupture works as both a noun and a verb. You can rupture the silence by screaming your head off, and any number of events in Star Trek can cause a rupture in the space-time continuum.
Vocabulary lists containing rupture
Make a Break for It: Rupt
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"Mammoth Shakes and Monster Waves" Vocabulary from the informational text
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 2–October 8, 2021
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Then there was a rupture in the relationship and Musk departed, although they seem to have mended fences.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
Wednesday’s rupture forced officials to shut down Normandie Avenue from Franklin Avenue to De Mille Drive, Workman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Even one major rupture along Cascadia or the San Andreas could create an enormous emergency response challenge.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026
Measles can cause the spleen to enlarge, making it more likely to rupture.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Pomp, who suffered the sickness as a child, circulates with me among the afflicted, bathing them comfortably and urging them to resist scratching and worrying at the sores, lest they rupture.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
A hemorrhagic stroke is less common than an ischemic stroke, but it is more fatal and occurs when a blood vessel leaks or ruptures in the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The explosive end of the ceasefire is threatening to reopen ruptures in the oil market that could dent stocks and complicate the Federal Reserve’s inflation fight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
When the stress levels differ significantly, ruptures are more likely to stop at Cajon Pass instead of continuing farther.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2026
The catastrophic explosion occurs when a pressurized vessel containing a liquid ruptures.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
“You’ll have to go to a hospital. If the appendix ruptures, you may get peritonitis, and the infection will spread.”
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The relationship between Katz and Gowan—once in-laws—has ruptured.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
By contrast, the Wrightwood earthquake of 1812 passed through the junction and ruptured both systems in a single through-going event.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Thurman had to have her fallopian tube removed after it ruptured.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Xi Jinping’s visit to the Brics summit in New Delhi is progress, but relations ruptured by 2020 border clashes remain fragile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Tom put on the wounded look, face of the ruptured deer.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
Ekitike, 24, had an impressive start to life at Anfield before rupturing his Achilles tendon in April, and the hope is he will be fit for the second half of this season.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
One fault rupturing could prompt a nearby fault — almost already to rupture — to go off in a quake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
There are several strike-slip faults where the two plates slide up against each other horizontally, sometimes snagging and building stress before violently rupturing and sometimes, as in Wednesday’s event, releasing another earthquake.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
On Friday, authorities described the tank exploding or rupturing as the only possible outcomes, but on Saturday Covey said: "Letting this thing just fail and blow up is unacceptable."
From Barron's ● May 23, 2026
I had to hold the phone from my eardrum for fear of him rupturing it.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
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