rupture 1 of 2

noun

Definition of rupturenext
1
as in fracture
an opening caused by the sudden tearing or breaking of something The earthquake created a rupture that spanned several miles. Doctors identified a rupture in his aorta.

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2
as in rift
the loss of good relations The incident caused a diplomatic rupture between the two countries. They've been working to mend the rupture in their relationship.

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rupture

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to fracture
to cause to develop a hole, crack, or tear often in a sudden and forceful or violent way She was out for the rest of the season after she ruptured a tendon.

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2
as in to burst
to develop a hole, crack, or tear often in a sudden and forceful or violent way The pipeline ruptured, leaking thousands of gallons of oil. The fault could rupture during the next major earthquake. High blood pressure caused the blood vessels to rupture.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rupture
Noun
The president has declared the occasional war on the media since, but his ban of three top outlets from the White House presents a new kind of rupture. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026 Stribling isn’t expected back until November after having surgery to repair a deltoid ligament rupture. — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
The impact ruptured his truck’s windshield, covering Peete in glass and injuring his eye, arms and legs. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026 As public concern about such risks reach a fever pitch, some worry the attacks on EA could rupture the political common ground that’s quietly starting to form on AI rules. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rupture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rupture
  1. fracture
  2. rift
  3. pull
  4. burst
  5. fissure
  6. schism
  7. break
  8. explode
Noun
  • The latest was a Lisfranc fracture in his foot that required surgery last November and cost him the final seven games of Denver’s regular season plus the team’s two playoff games.
    — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Chacón says a cast of its point shows an impact fracture identical to those on spears used by Aboriginal Australians.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of fracture
Noun
  • There’s a Christian minister, Michael Hare, who’s also a consultant to churches experiencing those rifts.
    — Margaret Wappler, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Recounting the disappearance of his sister Jade 20 years earlier, this text threatens to expose the lies, secrets and rifts within a group of friends bound forever by tragic events.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of rift
Verb
  • Including company inventories, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser estimated this week that more than 1 billion barrels have been pulled from stockpiles worldwide.
    — Heather Occhino, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
  • So strong was the Chicks’ commercial pull that their 2002 album Home—a trend-averse acoustic bluegrass album essentially recorded in secret—became a gargantuan hit, with two of its songs reaching the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
    — Shaad D’Souza, Pitchfork, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of pull
Verb
  • People are herby, people are lemony, people are mustardy, bursting at the taste buds with umami.
    — Raven Smith, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Walker burst free on a 76-yard run that turned the game around.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of burst
Noun
  • This fissure triggered one of the 21st century’s bloodiest wars in 2020 when federal forces attempted to wrestle control of the large province of Tigray, leaving up to 600,000 dead by the time a ceasefire deal was signed two years later.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Groundwater steadily rises through fissures in the limestone bedrock, providing the spring with a constant flow of pristine water.
    — Savannah Born, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of fissure
Noun
  • This is Kubrick’s modus operandi throughout the film, setting up scenes where furniture moves from shot to shot, wall decorations change, and there are further schisms between Ullman’s exposition and the reality that transpires.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The book follows this story for the critical eight years between 1527 and 1535, which led to the enduring schism that created the Church of England.
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of schism
Verb
  • Smaller pieces of the roof broke apart as sections detached from the main frame of the building.
    — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The civil war in Yemen erupted once again this summer and significantly intensified last month, breaking years of relative calm.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of break
Verb
  • The story effectively went viral, Churchill told me, and lock-picking competitions briefly exploded in popularity.
    — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Shares exploded higher by as much as 211% but retreated from those peaks and are starting to form an interesting baseline.
    — Jay Woods, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of explode

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rupture
ruptured
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Cite this Entry

“Rupture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rupture. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rupture

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