English Dictionary |
FRACTURE
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
IPA (US): |
Dictionary entry overview: What does fracture mean?
• FRACTURE (noun)
The noun FRACTURE has 3 senses:
1. breaking of hard tissue such as bone
2. (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
3. the act of cracking something
Familiarity information: FRACTURE used as a noun is uncommon.
• FRACTURE (verb)
The verb FRACTURE has 6 senses:
2. interrupt, break, or destroy
Familiarity information: FRACTURE used as a verb is common.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
Breaking of hard tissue such as bone
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Synonyms:
break; fracture
Context example:
the break seems to have been caused by a fall
Hypernyms ("fracture" is a kind of...):
harm; hurt; injury; trauma (any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fracture"):
comminuted fracture (fracture in which the bone is splintered or crushed)
complete fracture (break involving the entire width of the bone)
compound fracture; open fracture (bone fracture associated with lacerated soft tissue or an open wound)
compression fracture (fracture in which the bone collapses (especially in short bones such as vertebrae))
depressed fracture (fracture of the skull where the bone is pushed in)
displaced fracture (fracture in which the two ends of the broken bone are separated from one another)
fatigue fracture; stress fracture (fracture resulting from excessive activity rather than a specific injury)
capillary fracture; hairline fracture (a fracture without separation of the fragments and the line of the break being very thin)
incomplete fracture (fracture that does not go across the entire width of the bone)
impacted fracture (fracture in which one broken end is wedged into the other broken end)
closed fracture; simple fracture (an uncomplicated fracture in which the broken bones to not pierce the skin)
Derivation:
fracture (fracture a bone of)
fracture (break (a bone))
fracture (become fractured)
fracture (break into pieces)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Synonyms:
break; fault; faulting; fracture; geological fault; shift
Context example:
he studied the faulting of the earth's crust
Hypernyms ("fracture" is a kind of...):
cleft; crack; crevice; fissure; scissure (a long narrow opening)
Meronyms (parts of "fracture"):
fault line ((geology) line determined by the intersection of a geological fault and the earth's surface)
Domain category:
geology (a science that deals with the history of the earth as recorded in rocks)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fracture"):
inclined fault (a geological fault in which one side is above the other)
strike-slip fault (a geological fault in which one of the adjacent surfaces appears to have moved horizontally)
Instance hyponyms:
Denali Fault (a major open geological fault in Alaska)
San Andreas Fault (a major geological fault in California; runs from San Diego to San Francisco; the source of serious earthquakes)
Derivation:
fracture (break into pieces)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The act of cracking something
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
Hypernyms ("fracture" is a kind of...):
break; breakage; breaking (the act of breaking something)
Derivation:
fracture (fracture a bone of)
fracture (break (a bone))
fracture (break into pieces)
Conjugation: |
Past simple: fractured
Past participle: fractured
-ing form: fracturing
Sense 1
Meaning:
Violate or abuse
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
This writer really fractures the language
Hypernyms (to "fracture" is one way to...):
abuse; misuse; pervert (change the inherent purpose or function of something)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 2
Meaning:
Interrupt, break, or destroy
Classified under:
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing
Context example:
fracture the balance of power
Hypernyms (to "fracture" is one way to...):
destroy; destruct (do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sense 3
Meaning:
Break into pieces
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
The pothole fractured a bolt on the axle
Hypernyms (to "fracture" is one way to...):
break (destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sentence examples:
The girls fracture the wooden sticks
These glasses fracture easily
Derivation:
fracture (the act of cracking something)
fracture ((geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other)
fracture (breaking of hard tissue such as bone)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Become fractured
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Context example:
The tibia fractured from the blow of the iron pipe
Hypernyms (to "fracture" is one way to...):
break; break off; discontinue; stop (prevent completion)
Verb group:
fracture (break (a bone))
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sentence example:
The wooden sticks fracture
Derivation:
fracture (breaking of hard tissue such as bone)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Break (a bone)
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Context example:
She broke her clavicle
Verb group:
break; fracture (fracture a bone of)
fracture (become fractured)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fracture"):
refracture (break (a bone) that was previously broken but mended in an abnormal way)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
fracture (the act of cracking something)
fracture (breaking of hard tissue such as bone)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Fracture a bone of
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Synonyms:
break; fracture
Context example:
I broke my foot while playing hockey
Hypernyms (to "fracture" is one way to...):
injure; wound (cause injuries or bodily harm to)
Verb group:
fracture (break (a bone))
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sentence example:
Did he fracture his foot?
Derivation:
fracture (the act of cracking something)
fracture (breaking of hard tissue such as bone)
Context examples
Fracture of the lower end of the radius in which the lower fragment is displaced posteriorly.
(Colles' Fracture, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
It may decrease pain, the risk of fractures, and the development of new bone metastases.
(Clodronate, NCI Dictionary)
A bone fracture that is taking an abnormally long time to heal.
(Delayed Union Fracture, NCI Thesaurus)
A fracture is a break, usually in a bone.
(Fractures, NIH)
It may also be used to help diagnose fractures, bone infections, or other bone problems.
(Bone scan, NCI Dictionary)
It is most common in older individuals, and may lead to bone pain, deformities, and fractures.
(Bone Paget Disease, NCI Dictionary)
Clinical symptoms include hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, portal hypertension, malabsorption syndrome, and pathologic fractures.
(Aggressive Systemic Mastocytosis, NCI Thesaurus)
Researchers studying a mouse model of diabetes noted that the animals had significantly lower numbers of skeletal stem cells to repair bone fractures.
(Protein Discovery Could Help Heal Bones in Diabetics, VOA)
Ankle sprains and fractures are common sports injuries.
(Ankle Injuries and Disorders, NIH)
They are one cause of falls and fall-related injuries, such as hip fracture.
(Balance Problems, NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
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