rupture

American  

[ruhp-cher] / ˈrʌp tʃər /

noun

1. the act of breaking or bursting.

   The flood led to the rupture of the dam.

2. the state of being broken or burst.

   a rupture in the earth's surface.

   Synonyms:

   burst, split, break, fracture

   Antonyms:

   union, seam

3. a breach of harmonious, friendly, or peaceful relations.

4. Pathology. hernia, especially abdominal hernia.

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verb (used with object)

ruptured, rupturing

1. to break or burst.

   He ruptured a blood vessel.

   Synonyms:

   disrupt, split, fracture

   Antonyms:

   unite

2. to cause a breach of.

   to rupture friendly relations.

3. Pathology. to affect with hernia.

verb (used without object)

ruptured, rupturing

1. to suffer a break or rupture.

rupture British  

/ ˈrʌptʃə /

noun

1. the act of breaking or bursting or the state of being broken or burst

2. a breach of peaceful or friendly relations

3. pathol

   1. the breaking or tearing of a bodily structure or part

   2. another word for hernia

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verb

1. to break or burst or cause to break or burst

2. to affect or be affected with a rupture or hernia

3. to undergo or cause to undergo a breach in relations or friendship

Other Word Forms

• nonrupturable adjective
• nonrupture noun
• rupturable adjective
• unrupturable adjective
• unruptured adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Navigating that kind of rupture would take poise, flexibility, and tact.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

Myanmar's military has long presented itself as the only force guarding the restive country from rupture and ruin.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Previous studies based on seismic recordings suggested that earthquakes like this may involve a pulse-like rupture and slightly curved motion along the fault.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026

Here is how the rupture stacks up against past shocks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Her voice was cold and crackled like ice, but there was an undercurrent of pain in it, running deep beneath the surface, causing her anger to rupture and break.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Related Words

• burst
• disrupt
• erupt
• fracture
• puncture
• sever
• shatter
• sunder
• tear