fracture

[ frak-cher ]

/ ˈfræk tʃər /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

fractious, fractiously, 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 MORE SYNONYMS FOR fracture ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

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.