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Synonyms

rupture

American  
[ruhp-cher] / ˈrʌp tʃər /

noun

  1. the act of breaking or bursting.

    The flood led to the rupture of the dam.

  2. the state of being broken or burst.

    a rupture in the earth's surface.
    Synonyms:
    burst, split, break, fracture
    Antonyms:
    union, seam

  3. a breach of harmonious, friendly, or peaceful relations.

  4. Pathology. hernia, especially abdominal hernia.

verb (used with object)

ruptured, rupturing

  1. to break or burst.

    He ruptured a blood vessel.
    Synonyms:
    disrupt, split, fracture
    Antonyms:
    unite

  2. to cause a breach of.

    to rupture friendly relations.

  3. Pathology. to affect with hernia.

verb (used without object)

ruptured, rupturing

  1. to suffer a break or rupture.

rupture British  
/ ˈrʌptʃə /

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. pathol

    1. the breaking or tearing of a bodily structure or part

    2. another word for hernia

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonrupturable adjective
  • nonrupture noun
  • rupturable adjective
  • unrupturable adjective
  • unruptured adjective

Etymology

Origin of rupture

1475–85; < Latin ruptūra (noun), equivalent to rupt ( us ) (past participle of rumpere to break) + -ūra -ure

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Myanmar's military has long presented itself as the only force guarding the restive country from rupture and ruin.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Previous studies based on seismic recordings suggested that earthquakes like this may involve a pulse-like rupture and slightly curved motion along the fault.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026

On Jan. 30, Vonn suffered a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, with meniscus and bone damage, when she crashed during a downhill race in Crans Montana, Switzerland.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

"It will take decades to repair this rupture," one senior official in the Gulf told me.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Her voice was cold and crackled like ice, but there was an undercurrent of pain in it, running deep beneath the surface, causing her anger to rupture and break.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.