English Reference

Word

rupture

Phoneticsrup·ture

US/ˈɹəptʃɝ/

UK/ɹˈʌptʃɐ/

Definitions

02medical injury

C1 · Medicine

n. a tear in a muscle, organ, or other soft tissue in the body.

n. a tear or break in a bodily organ or soft tissue, such as a muscle or ligament.

“The athlete had to stop playing because of a rupture in his Achilles tendon.”

“The surgeon confirmed a rupture of the spleen, requiring immediate intervention to prevent internal haemorrhaging.”

Technical

Synonyms

03social/political break

C1

n. a serious disagreement that ends a relationship between people or countries.

n. a severe breach in harmonious relations between individuals, groups, or nations.

“The disagreement led to a permanent rupture between the two former business partners.”

“The diplomatic rupture between the two neighbouring states followed years of escalating tension over maritime borders.”

Formal

Real-World Examples

“Sawyers, who returned to action last year , suffered a devastating Achilles rupture on her take-off leg which ended her Olympic hopes.”
BBC News · 16 Aug 2026
“There was no single betrayal, no dramatic rupture.”
The Conversation · 17 Aug 2026

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French rupture, or its source, Latin ruptūra (“a breaking, rupture (of a limb or vein)”) and Medieval Latin ruptūra (“a road, a field, a form of feudal tenure, a tax, etc.”), from the participle stem of rumpere (“to break, burst”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Domains

BotanyEngineeringMedicine

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

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English Reference