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
Despite becoming fast friends after meeting at Gates’ parents’ home in 1991 and later working together to create the Giving Pledge, the rupture between Buffett and Gates has been years in the making. — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 14 July 2026 Graham died Saturday at the age of 71 of what was preliminarily diagnosed as a rupture of his aorta due to a hardening of his arteries, his office said. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 14 July 2026
Verb
Neutron's timeline suffered another blow in January, when the main stage tank ruptured during a pressure test taking place at the company's Wallops, Virginia, launch facility. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 15 July 2026 The 58-year-old underwent a three-hour surgery to remove her breast implants after one ruptured. — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 15 July 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
  • Thursday’s fracture was on a steel pipe that forms the major arteries for water delivery from reservoirs and tanks to smaller distribution lines across Los Angeles.
    — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
  • She was quickly placed on a stability board and airlifted by helicopter to a hospital from the course, and the impact left her suffering from a complex tibia fracture and a torn ACL.
    — Eleanor Jacobs, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026
Definition of fracture
Noun
  • Last seen in The Marvels (2023), where Monica Rambeau sacrificed herself to close a multiversal rift and ended up stranded on the other side of it, in a universe where the X-Men exist.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Although the rift has no end in sight, the Palace remains hopeful that Kate can help William move forward with his brother.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 18 July 2026
Definition of rift
Verb
  • The captain, Giorgos Georgidakis, is pulling souvlaki off the boat’s grill while his niece, Sofia, passes me plates of spanakopita made by her grandmother to bring ashore.
    — Yulia Denisyuk, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 July 2026
  • Both stocks posted record closes last week, before pulling back in recent sessions.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 22 July 2026
Definition of pull
Verb
  • But the comics bubble burst in the early 2000s, right when King was graduating from college.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 July 2026
  • In that time, competing tokenization specialists from the crypto industry such as Ondo and Securitize have burst onto the scene, threatening legacy clearing infrastructure through high-profile partnerships with giants including BlackRock.
    — Tanaya Macheel, CNBC, 15 July 2026
Definition of burst
Noun
  • While effective in winning the war, the new government faced social and political fissures in the postwar period.
    — Donovan Fifield, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
  • Diggins’ absence from the court and the Sky’s ongoing lack of success seemed to set the table for an early fissure midway through the first season of her two-way deal.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
Definition of fissure
Noun
  • The Vatican declared the group of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide in schism after the SSPX consecrated four bishops in Switzerland without Pope Leo XIV’s approval this month.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 15 July 2026
  • The Vatican said dialogue was offered to the ​group ahead of the schism and that the step of ordaining ​bishops without ⁠church approval was considered so grave that excommunication was automatic.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 5 July 2026
Definition of schism
Verb
  • England went ahead of Argentina in the 55th minute of their semifinal, but Messi found another gear and set up both late goals to break England’s hearts and keep Argentina’s run alive.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026
  • Their starvation reached new heights, and the men ultimately broke their promise to Odysseus and killed one of Apollo’s cattle.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
Definition of break
Verb
  • Images of 20-year-old Lionel Messi and infant Lamine Yamal from 2007 have exploded in popularity in the run-up to Sunday’s World Cup final, when Messi’s Argentina plays Yamal’s Spain for the biggest trophy in the sport.
    — Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026
  • The global market for testosterone therapy has exploded from global sales of only $18 million annually in the late 1980s to nearly $2 billion in 2025.
    — Alexander P. Cole, STAT, 18 July 2026
Definition of explode

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Cite this Entry

“Rupture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rupture. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on rupture

Nglish: Translation of rupture for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rupture

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