frac·ture
ˈfrak-chər 
-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
fractured; fracturing
ˈfrak-chə-riŋ
-shriŋ
2
a
: to damage or destroy as if by rupturing
an argument that fractured family relations
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
Sheldon Cheney
: 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
Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2026
The new picture also captures shadowy fractures and pits that hint at large volumes of water ice still buried beneath the surface, as well as numerous impact craters surrounded by the detritus of their own explosive formation.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2026
Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Subject of this mass hysteria was Elvis Aaron Presley, 21-year-old singer and hero of the nation’s teenagers who purely fractured two full houses at Municipal Auditorium last night with his unique actions and sensational style.
—Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fracture
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Noun
The skull fracture was likely caused when Martinez tripped while holding Heather a couple weeks before her death, the attorneys found.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2026
The new picture also captures shadowy fractures and pits that hint at large volumes of water ice still buried beneath the surface, as well as numerous impact craters surrounded by the detritus of their own explosive formation.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
House Republicans are fracturing over a bipartisan immigration plan, a feud that serves as a microcosm of the broader battle roiling the party ahead of the midterms.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Subject of this mass hysteria was Elvis Aaron Presley, 21-year-old singer and hero of the nation’s teenagers who purely fractured two full houses at Municipal Auditorium last night with his unique actions and sensational style.
—Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fracture
Cite this Entry
“Fracture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fracture. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
fracture
1 of 2 noun
frac·ture
ˈfrak-chər, -shər
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
1
: to cause a fracture in
fracture a rib
2
: to cause a rupture or tear in
a blow that fractured a kidney
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