1
as in fractured
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 exploded
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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Recent Examples of ruptured
Cleaning up the powerhouse More than a month after the pipeline feeding into the powerhouse ruptured while under repair, and being prepared for testing, the clean-up of the power station and assessment of the total damage continues.
—
Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Sable has faced particular backlash over its efforts to restart a pipeline that ruptured in 2015, causing one of the biggest oil spills in state history.
—Clara Harter Los Angeles Times, Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 2026
Sable has faced particular backlash over its efforts to restart a pipeline that ruptured in 2015, sending 100,000 gallons of crude oil into the ocean and devastating marine life in one of the biggest oil spills in state history.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
Call it a well-ahead-of-schedule return for Tatum, the perennial All-Star who ruptured his Achilles in Game 4 of the Boston Celtics’ second-round playoff series against the Knicks last season.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026
Officials said a 42-inch water main in the area ruptured.
—CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
Selter noted Malinovsky had artery problems, with plaque present, and one had ruptured.
—Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 4 Mar. 2026
At higher pressures, some membranes ruptured, and internal structures were affected, but many microbes remained viable.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Mar. 2026
The fuel tanks ruptured, and the entire tail section fell off, along with the right wing.
—Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Sable has faced particular backlash over its efforts to restart a pipeline that ruptured in 2015, causing one of the biggest oil spills in state history.
—Clara Harter Los Angeles Times, Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 2026
Sable has faced particular backlash over its efforts to restart a pipeline that ruptured in 2015, sending 100,000 gallons of crude oil into the ocean and devastating marine life in one of the biggest oil spills in state history.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
Call it a well-ahead-of-schedule return for Tatum, the perennial All-Star who ruptured his Achilles in Game 4 of the Boston Celtics’ second-round playoff series against the Knicks last season.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026
Officials said a 42-inch water main in the area ruptured.
—CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
Selter noted Malinovsky had artery problems, with plaque present, and one had ruptured.
—Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 4 Mar. 2026
At higher pressures, some membranes ruptured, and internal structures were affected, but many microbes remained viable.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Mar. 2026
The fuel tanks ruptured, and the entire tail section fell off, along with the right wing.
—Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruptured
Verb
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Since Everton fractured Villa’s home dominance in January, Unai Emery’s side have lost to Brentford, Wolves and Chelsea and dropped points elsewhere.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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And yet Hezbollah’s choice to plunge the country into war has fractured the group, which is now facing backlash from its own supporters, and from the Lebanese government.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some of those strikes exploded outside a hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as representatives from Middle Eastern countries gathered to discuss the war.—
Marissa Martinez,
NBC news,
20 Mar. 2026
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In a separate incident on Thursday night, a house exploded during a fire in Lake Dallas, officials said.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Her hair, with a neat middle part, was pulled back tightly into a low bun to frame her face perfectly, and it was all punctuated with a strong red lip.—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 2026
-
With the win, Minnesota (10-3-3-4) pulled even with Boston atop the PWHL standings with 39 points.—
Theodore Tollefson,
Twin Cities,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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InSo, a new Southeast Asian fusion restaurant with a hopping nightlife, has burst onto the vibrant Las Colinas scene.—
Zacharia Washington,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Mar. 2026
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Fresh flowers burst explosively out of each cake, swinging jauntily over stacks of vanilla sponges and creamy frostings.—
The Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In an effort to draw in new viewers, The Bachelor franchise has instead ripped itself apart.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2026
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The alleged thieves ripped bronze plaques and grave markers from headstones and walls of the cemetery's mausoleum.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Up big in the first half, blew the lead, lost.—
Ren Clayton,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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The Horns, who blew a pair of must-win games and limped to an 18-13 finish of the regular season before a one-and-done SEC Tourney appearance, were the Last Team In in ESPN’s bracketology projection and could only hope that Joe Lunardi and the selection committee were in lock step.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That evening, news broke that the FBI had been conducting a months-long investigation into Kent for leaking classified information to the media.—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Mar. 2026
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Kymora Johnson buried an icy 3 and broke a late tie.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The morning after a cold front tore through Central Florida, SpaceX was able to sneak in a launch despite high winds on the Space Coast.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Mar. 2026
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The installation of Interstate 980 — the city’s downtown highway that began construction in the 1960s — tore through West Oakland, destroying hundreds of homes and cutting off Hoover-Durant from the rest of town.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruptured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruptured. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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