Meaning & use
hairline fracture
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Meanings
nouncountablemedical
A very thin crack in a bone that has not broken all the way through and may be hard to see on an X-ray.
Grammar: Has a plural: two hairline fractures. Often follows have or suffer.
Patterns
- a hairline fracture in something
- a hairline fracture of something
The X-ray showed a hairline fracture in her wrist.
He kept running on a hairline fracture for a week before seeing a doctor.
A hairline fracture usually heals with rest and a supportive boot.
nouncountablefigurative
A very fine crack in a hard surface such as pottery, glass or concrete.
Grammar: Used about objects, not people: a hairline fracture in the vase.
Patterns
- a hairline fracture in something
Inspectors found a hairline fracture in the bridge support.
The vase looked perfect, but there was a hairline fracture near its base.
Word forms
| plural | hairline fractures |
|---|
Common combinations
- suffer a hairline fracture
- The striker suffered a hairline fracture in his foot.
- a hairline fracture of the ankle
- Scans confirmed a hairline fracture of the ankle.
- heal a hairline fracture
- Rest is the best way to heal a hairline fracture.
- detect a hairline fracture
- A normal X-ray can miss a hairline fracture.
- a hairline fracture in the skull
- The helmet prevented anything worse than a hairline fracture in the skull.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stress fracture
- A stress fracture is a small crack caused by repeated pressure, so it names the cause, while hairline fracture names how thin the crack is.
- crack
- Crack is the everyday, less precise word and can describe a bigger break as well.
- fissure
- Fissure is a more formal word for a narrow split and is common in geology and anatomy.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: hairline fracture or sprain?
hairline fracture vs sprain
A sprain is an injury to a ligament, not a bone, so a hairline fracture and a sprain need different treatment.
Practice
The scan showed only a ____ in his shin, so the doctor said he could walk in a boot.
Choose one answer.
A hairline fracture is a very thin bone crack that heals with minimal treatment. A compound fracture would be a serious break through the skin, so it does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hairline fracture”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.