fracture
the breaking of a bone, cartilage, or the like, or the resulting condition.: Compare comminuted fracture, complete fracture, compound fracture, greenstick fracture, simple fracture.
the act of breaking; state of being broken.
a break, breach, or split.
the characteristic manner of breaking: a material of unpredictable fracture.
the characteristic appearance of a broken surface, as of a mineral.
to cause or to suffer a fracture in (a bone, etc.).
to break or crack.
Slang. to amuse highly or cause to laugh heartily; delight: The new comic really fractured the audience.
to become fractured; break: a mineral that does not fracture easily.
Origin of fracture
1Other words for fracture
Other words from fracture
- frac·tur·a·ble, adjective
- frac·tur·al, adjective
- frac·tur·er, noun
- post·frac·ture, adjective, noun
- re·frac·tur·a·ble, adjective
- re·frac·ture, verb, re·frac·tured, re·frac·tur·ing.
- un·frac·tured, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fracture in a sentence
Obsessive exercising and inadequate nutrition can, over time, put people at high risk for overuse injuries like stress fractures.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models | Carrie Arnold | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThis leaves people with a history of anorexia and reduced bone density like me at high risk for fractures.
At the hospital, the trauma team noted that both legs had multiple compound fractures.
It sort of makes sense, given the sprains, fractures, and bruises that have dominated the sport for so long.
What NFL Could Learn From Washington Nationals About Treating Injured | Kent Sepkowitz | October 15, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTPumping high-pressure fluids into the rock causes fractures, which makes extracting the fossil fuels more efficient.
Youngstown Rocks: Is Fracking Causing Earthquakes in Ohio? | John Avlon | January 3, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
These fractures often exist in very great numbers, and constitute a formidable barrier in the explorer's way.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerAs before noted, these ice fractures when drawn out naturally form fissures at right angles to the direction of the strain.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerFractures of the rude and dangerous stone anvil which he used had left small wounds upon his hands and arms, the marks of labour.
Toilers of the Sea | Victor HugoTheir fractures creaked and enlarged at every gust, and the axe, so to speak, had but to help the labour of the wind.
Toilers of the Sea | Victor HugoThese blocks are, however, of sand-stone, and their fractures are the result of the inclemency of the weather.
British Dictionary definitions for fracture
/ (ˈfræktʃə) /
the act of breaking or the state of being broken
the breaking or cracking of a bone or the tearing of a cartilage
the resulting condition: See also Colles' fracture, comminuted fracture, compound fracture, greenstick fracture, impacted (def. 2)
a division, split, or breach
mineralogy
the characteristic appearance of the surface of a freshly broken mineral or rock
the way in which a mineral or rock naturally breaks
to break or cause to break; split
to break or crack (a bone) or (of a bone) to become broken or cracked
to tear (a cartilage) or (of a cartilage) to become torn
Origin of fracture
1Derived forms of fracture
- fracturable, adjective
- fractural, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for fracture
[ frăk′chər ]
A break or rupture in bone tissue.♦ A comminuted fracture results in more than two fragments.♦ Although most fractures are caused by a direct blow or sudden, twisting force, stress fractures result from repetitive physical activity.♦ In an incomplete fracture, the fracture line does not completely traverse the bone.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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