rupture
Americannoun
-
ruptures
plural
-
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)
-
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
-
nonrupturenoun
-
nonrupturableadjective
-
rupturableadjective
-
unrupturableadjective
-
unrupturedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rupturesimple
-
rupturessimple
-
have rupturedperfect
-
has rupturedperfect
-
am rupturingprogressive
-
are rupturingprogressive
-
is rupturingprogressive
-
have been rupturingperfect progressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Mammoth Shakes and Monster Waves" Vocabulary from the informational text
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 2–October 8, 2021
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Underneath this united organizational front is a rupture.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026
In the long run, a lasting rupture could even weigh on Dubai's economy.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
The embryo grows until it causes the organ to rupture, triggering catastrophic bleeding.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
His is just one of many experiences that is fuelling diplomatic tension and threatening to rupture relations between South Africa and other countries on the continent.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Her hands were bony, and there were veins so close to the surface that it looked like you could rupture her skin if you touched her too hard.
From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat
The catastrophic explosion occurs when a pressurized vessel containing a liquid ruptures.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
If so, they could function as a widespread system of natural earthquake brakes that prevents some ruptures from escalating into even larger events.
From Science Daily ● May 16, 2026
You may not know you have high blood pressure until something goes wrong and that extra pressure ruptures a blood vessel - like a burst pipe – causing a stroke or a heart attack.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
The Mayas’ sense of time was cyclical; social and demographic ruptures were the standard rather than the exception.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Sparks flowed from the slim elfin fingers, intuitively targeting bruises, breaks, or ruptures.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Thurman had to have her fallopian tube removed after it ruptured.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Pennsylvania counted the death as one of two measles deaths, but the local coroner said the infant died from a ruptured spleen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Denmark's Rune, a good friend of Alcaraz, is returning to training after he ruptured his Achilles in October last year.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Tommy John, who ruptured a ligament in his left elbow in 1974, agreed to a radical surgery that revived his career and changed baseball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
They didn’t know an aneurysm had ruptured in the network of blood vessels at the bottom of her brain called the circle of Willis.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
The Phantom’s front landing collapsed, piercing the floorboard under the cockpit and rupturing the charge on his ejection seat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
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
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
