Meaning & use
fracture
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A crack or break in a bone or hard material.
Grammar: Countable: a fracture, two fractures. Often used with 'of': a fracture of the skull.
Patterns
- a fracture in something
- a fracture of something
- suffer a fracture
The X-ray showed a small fracture in her wrist.
He suffered a fracture of the collarbone during the match.
Engineers found a fracture in the metal pipe.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To break or crack something, or to become broken.
Grammar: Can take an object (fracture a bone) or not (the bone fractured).
Patterns
- fracture something
- something fractures
The fall fractured his hip.
The ice fractured under their weight.
She fractured her ankle while skiing.
verbintransitive
To divide or split apart, especially a group or relationship.
Grammar: No object; often used for groups or alliances: the party fractured.
Patterns
- something fractures
- fracture into something
The coalition fractured over the budget dispute.
The party fractured into two rival groups.
Their friendship fractured after the argument.
Word forms
| plural | fractures |
|---|---|
| third person singular | fractures |
| past tense | fractured |
| past participle | fractured |
| -ing form | fracturing |
Common combinations
- hairline fracture
- The scan revealed a hairline fracture in his rib.
- compound fracture
- A compound fracture broke through the skin.
- stress fracture
- Runners often get stress fractures in their feet.
- fracture a bone
- He fractured a bone in his hand.
- fracture point
- The fracture point of the material was reached.
Synonyms and how they differ
- break
- More general and common; 'break' can be used for any object, while 'fracture' is more technical and often for bones or hard materials.
- crack
- A thin line where something is partially broken; a fracture is usually a complete break.
- split
- Used for dividing along a line, often for groups; 'fracture' is more formal and suggests damage.
Opposites
Word family
- fractured adjective
- Broken or cracked; also used for divided groups.
- fracturing noun
- The process of breaking or splitting.
Commonly confused: fracture or fraction?
fracture vs fraction
A fraction is a small part or number, not a break. 'Fracture' is about breaking.
Practice
The X-ray showed a small ___ in her wrist.
Choose one answer.
A 'fracture' is a break in a bone, which fits the X-ray context. 'Fraction' means a small part or number, not a break. 'Fracturing' is a verb form and 'fractured' is an adjective or past verb, neither fits after 'a small'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fracture”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.