fracture

1 of 2

noun

frac·​ture ˈfrak-chər How to pronounce fracture (audio)
-shər
1
: the result of fracturing : break
2
a
: the act or process of breaking or the state of being broken
especially : the breaking of hard tissue (such as bone)
b
: the rupture (as by tearing) of soft tissue
kidney fracture
3
: the general appearance of a freshly broken surface of a mineral

fracture

2 of 2

verb

fractured; fracturing ˈfrak-chə-riŋ How to pronounce fracture (audio)
-shriŋ

transitive verb

1
a
: to cause a crack or fracture in : break
fracture a rib
b
2
a
: to damage or destroy as if by rupturing
b
: to cause great disorder in
c
: to break up : fractionate
d
: to go beyond the limits of (something, such as a rule) : violate
fractured many of the laws of probability …Sheldon Cheney

intransitive verb

: to undergo fracture : to crack or break
Her wrist fractured in the fall.

Examples of fracture in a Sentence

Noun a fracture in the Earth's crust She suffered a wrist fracture when she slipped on the ice. Verb Her wrist fractured when she fell on the ice. Their happiness was fractured by an unforeseen tragedy. These problems may fracture the unity of the two parties. Their fragile happiness fractured all too soon.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Worst of all, according to Tobin, was the fracture to her pelvis. Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024 Still, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., did address the fractures that have roiled Republicans. Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 Joey Bosa’s eight-season tenure with the Chargers has been waylaid by injuries the past two years – groin surgery in 2022; toe fracture and foot sprain last year. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 Engineers then inject water or liquid biomass into the fractures and pump it to the surface. IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2024 Seeps occur when crude oil leaks from fractures in the seafloor or rises up through seafloor sediments. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a method that injects water, sand and chemicals into the ground to create new fractures in rocks and extract natural gas, oil and brine. Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 26 Feb. 2024 Martin arrived at the shelter in June and had a limp due to a fracture in one of his legs. Simone Jasper, Miami Herald, 18 Feb. 2024 Ghattas and her colleagues suspect that’s because men’s fractures tended to be in bones of the lower body, such as the hip and femur, which are more likely to result in a hospital stay than fractures in the upper body. Linda Carroll, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2024
Verb
With less of a sea ice shield in front of the ice shelves, waves are freer to pound on them, weakening and fracturing them. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 2 Mar. 2024 Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals underground to fracture subterranean layers of rock and release oil and gas. Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 13 Feb. 2024 The plan was to use rookie Colin Castleton in his spot, but Castleton fractured his wrist in a workout just before the Lakers resumed games after the All-Star break. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2024 McConnell also fractured his shoulder in a fall outside his Louisville, Kentucky, home in 2019, and suffered another fall at a Washington D.C. hotel last March, giving him a concussion and a broken rib. Brian Bushard, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Golden State will be otherwise healthy to begin its four-game trip, with point guard Chris Paul playing in his first game since fracturing his hand in January. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 The move led to him dislocating his shoulders and fracturing his neck. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 Ukraine is getting aid from Asian democracies, such as South Korea, that understand that their security will suffer if the liberal order is fractured. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 On May 17 against the Dodgers, Gordon fouled a pitch off his right leg and fractured his right tibia. Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 11 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fracture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Latin frāctūra "act of breaking, breaking of a bone," from frāctus (past participle of frangere "to break, shatter") + -ūra -ure — more at break entry 1

Verb

derivative of fracture entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1612, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of fracture was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near fracture

Cite this Entry

“Fracture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fracture. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fracture

noun
frac·​ture
ˈfrak-chər,
-shər
1
: the act or process of breaking : the state of being broken
especially : the breaking of a bone
2
: the result of fracturing
especially : an injury resulting from fracture of a bone
fracture verb

Medical Definition

fracture

1 of 2 noun
frac·​ture ˈfrak-chər, -shər How to pronounce fracture (audio)
1
: the act or process of breaking or the state of being broken
specifically : the breaking of hard tissue and especially bone
2
: the rupture (as by tearing) of soft tissue
kidney fracture

fracture

2 of 2 transitive verb
fractured; fracturing -chə-riŋ, -shriŋ How to pronounce fracture (audio)
1
: to cause a fracture in
fracture a rib
2
: to cause a rupture or tear in
a blow that fractured a kidney

More from Merriam-Webster on fracture

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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