fracture

[ frak-cher ]

/ ˈfræk tʃər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR fracture ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the breaking of a bone, cartilage, or the like, or the resulting condition.Compare comminuted fracture, complete fracture, compound fracture, greenstick fracture, simple fracture.

the act of breaking; state of being broken.

a break, breach, or split.

the characteristic manner of breaking: a material of unpredictable fracture.

the characteristic appearance of a broken surface, as of a mineral.

verb (used with object), frac·tured, frac·tur·ing.

to cause or to suffer a fracture in (a bone, etc.).

to break or crack.

Slang. to amuse highly or cause to laugh heartily; delight: The new comic really fractured the audience.

verb (used without object), frac·tured, frac·tur·ing.

to become fractured; break: a mineral that does not fracture easily.

Words nearby fracture

fractionize, fractious, fractocumulus, fractostratus, fractur, fracture, fracture by contrecoup, fracture zone, fractus, frae, fraenulum

Origin of fracture

1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French < Latin frāctūra a breach, cleft, fracture, equivalent to frāct(us) (past participle of frangere to break) + -ūra -ure

SYNONYMS FOR fracture

7 smash, shatter, splinter, rupture, split.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR fracture ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM fracture

frac·tur·a·ble, adjectivefrac·tur·al, adjectivefrac·tur·er, nounpost·frac·ture, adjective, noun

re·frac·tur·a·ble, adjectivere·frac·ture, verb, re·frac·tured, re·frac·tur·ing.un·frac·tured, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fracture

Facebook has—to fracture an old phrase—just closed the barn door after a billion cows already departed the premises.
You Can’t Have Facebook’s Best Privacy Policy|Dennis Kneale|May 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the truth is, I got way more opportunities out of Half Nelson than I did out of Fracture.
Rob Lowe: Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful|Tricia Romano|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Loss of empire—and particularly the arrival of former subjects from Asia and Africa—threatened to fracture that identity.
Take a Bow, London: The Olympics Were a Triumph|Peter Jukes|August 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He was Tasered several times but he was still able to grab a baton from a police officer and fracture her arm.
Did Bath Salts Spark Miami’s Gruesome ‘Zombie’ Attack?|Jacqui Goddard|May 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST

One never knows where or when or how they will fracture, but they invariably do.
Saudi Arabia’s Hypocritical U.S. Threat|David Keyes|September 16, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The throw is again on the west side of the fracture and the rocks fall down some thousands of feet.
Canyons of the Colorado|J. W. Powell
A depressed fragment of bone in fracture of the skull has a similar effect.
Inventors at Work|George Iles
Three weeks later the humerus was united; the fracture was evidently the result of passing contact, and not of direct impact.
Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900|George Henry Makins
Zone of flow, zone of flow and fracture, and zone of fracture.
The Elements of Geology|William Harmon Norton
It is also a comparatively common complication of fracture of the middle fossa of the base of the skull.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles

British Dictionary definitions for fracture

fracture

/ (ˈfræktʃə) /

noun

the act of breaking or the state of being broken

the breaking or cracking of a bone or the tearing of a cartilage
the resulting conditionSee also Colles' fracture, comminuted fracture, compound fracture, greenstick fracture, impacted (def. 2)

a division, split, or breach

mineralogy

the characteristic appearance of the surface of a freshly broken mineral or rock
the way in which a mineral or rock naturally breaks

verb

to break or cause to break; split

to break or crack (a bone) or (of a bone) to become broken or cracked

to tear (a cartilage) or (of a cartilage) to become torn

Derived forms of fracture

fracturable, adjectivefractural, adjective

Word Origin for fracture

C15: from Old French, from Latin fractūra, from frangere to break

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for fracture

fracture

[ frăk′chər ]

n.

The act or process of breaking.

A break, rupture, or crack, especially in bone or cartilage.

v.

To cause to break.

Science definitions for fracture

fracture

[ frăk′chər ]

A break or rupture in bone tissue.♦ A comminuted fracture results in more than two fragments.♦ Although most fractures are caused by a direct blow or sudden, twisting force, stress fractures result from repetitive physical activity.♦ In an incomplete fracture, the fracture line does not completely traverse the bone.

fracture

noun

verb (used with object), frac·tured, frac·tur·ing.

verb (used without object), frac·tured, frac·tur·ing.

Content related to fracture

Words related to fracture

Words nearby fracture

Origin of fracture

SYNONYMS FOR fracture

OTHER WORDS FROM fracture

Examples from the Web for fracture

British Dictionary definitions for fracture

noun

verb

Derived forms of fracture

Word Origin for fracture

Medicine definitions for fracture

n.

v.

Science definitions for fracture