26984 words

fracture

6 definitions • 9 examples
1
If something hard, such as a bone, fractures, or is fractured, it breaks or cracks:

Examples:

fracture someone's skull She fractured her skull in the accident.
Two of her ribs fractured when she was thrown from her horse.
A fractured pipe at a steelworks has leaked 20 tons of oil into the Severn estuary.
2
to divide an organization or society, or (of an organization or society) to be divided:

Examples:

3
a break or crack in something hard, especially a bone:

Examples:

hairline fracture He has a hairline fracture (= a thin broken line in the bone) of the wrist.
4
to crack or break something, esp. a bone:

Examples:

[ T ] She fractured her skull in the accident.
5
a crack or break, esp. in a bone:

Examples:

He had a hairline fracture (= a thin crack in the bone) of the toe.
6
Fracture is also the way that a particular kind of rock usually breaks, or the shape of broken pieces.

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