English Dictionary

Definition of “rupture

rupture (ˈrʌptʃəPronunciation for rupture

Definitions

noun

  1. the act of breaking or bursting or the state of being broken or burst
  2. a breach of peaceful or friendly relations
  3. pathology 
    1. the breaking or tearing of a bodily structure or part
    2. another word for hernia

verb

  1. to break or burst or cause to break or burst
  2. to affect or be affected with a rupture or hernia
  3. to undergo or cause to undergo a breach in relations or friendship

Alternative Forms

ˈrupturable adjective

Word Origin

C15: from Latin ruptūra  a breaking, from rumpere to burst forth; see erupt

Usage examples

  • When they were at last able to calm Henry, the rupture was somehow patched over.
    Penman, Sharon, Here Be Dragons (1986)
  • But one of the remaining pair died at 24 weeks of respiratory distress due to premature rupture of the membranes.
    New Scientist (2003)
  • None of this, though, will ever help him overcome the deep social rupture caused by Iraq, or the deep international rupture.
    Globe and Mail (2003)
  • Research has suggested that statins also alter the nature of fatty plaques in the coronary arteries and make them less likely to rupture.
    Times, Sunday Times (2001)
  • The fallopian tubes cannot expand to accommodate a pregnancy, and will eventually rupture painfully and sometimes fatally.
    Hayman, Suzie, Vasectomy and Sterilization (1989)

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