noun

fracture

FRAK-chuh

noun

A break, crack, or split — especially in a bone, but also in rock or other hard material.

"X-rays showed a hairline fracture in her wrist."

"Geologists mapped the fractures running through the cliff face."

verb

To break or crack, or to cause something to break.

"He fractured his ankle jumping off the wall."

"The disagreement threatened to fracture the alliance."

How to Use Fracture

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA break, either literal (a bone) or figurative (a relationship or agreement falling apart).

Common mistake

A fracture and a break are essentially the same thing medically — "fracture" is just the clinical term.

Common pairings

fracture a bone stress fracture hairline fracture

fractured past tense, fractures plural, fractures singular

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X-rays showed a hairline _____ in her wrist.

From Latin frāctūra ("a break"), from frangere ("to break") — related to fraction and fragment.

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