Standard Lemma guide

rupture

noun · verb · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɹʌpt͡ʃəː/
  • Received-Pronunciation: [ˈɹwʌ̹pt͡ʃəː]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈɹʌpt͡ʃɚ/
  • General-American: [ˈɹwʌ̈pt͡ʃɚ] ~ [ˈɹwʌ̈pt͡ʃɹ̩]
  • rhymes with -ʌptʃə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: R AH1 P CH ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A burst, split, or break.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A social breach or break, between individuals or groups.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A break or tear in soft tissue, such as a muscle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A failure mode in which a tough ductile material pulls apart rather than cracking.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To burst, break through, or split, as under pressure.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To dehisce irregularly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the act of making a sudden noisy break

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: breakage, break, breaking

8

noun

Meaning 8

a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they hoped to avoid a break in relations

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: breach, break, severance, rift, falling out

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: separation, breakup, detachment

Narrower terms: schism

9

noun

Meaning 9

state of being torn or burst open

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: injury, hurt, harm, trauma

Narrower terms: hernia, herniation, herniated disc, ruptured intervertebral disc, slipped disc

10

verb

Meaning 10

separate or cause to separate abruptly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The rope snapped
  • tear the paper

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tear, snap, bust

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: separate, disunite, divide, part

Narrower terms: lacerate, rend, rip, rive, pull, shred, tear up, rip up

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *Hrew-? Proto-Indo-European *Hrewp- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Proto-Indo-European *Hrunépti Latin rumpō Latin ruptūrader. Middle French rupturebor. ▲ Latin ruptūrabor. English rupture 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”). Doublet of roture.

Across languages

Translations

71 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: скъсване (skǎsvane) — burst or split
  • Bulgarian: разкъсване (razkǎsvane) — burst or split
  • Chinese Mandarin: 破裂 (pòliè) — burst or split
  • Czech: prasklina — burst or split
  • Czech: prasknutí — burst or split
  • Finnish: puhkeaminen — burst or split
  • Finnish: halkeama — burst or split
  • Finnish: katkeaminen — burst or split
  • French: rupture — burst or split
  • German: Bruch — burst or split
  • Hindi: दरार (darār) — burst or split
  • Italian: rottura — burst or split
  • Japanese: 破裂 (haretsu) — burst or split
  • Korean: 터짐 (teojim) — burst or split
  • Latin: ruptura — burst or split
  • Macedonian: пр́скање (pŕskanje) — burst or split
  • Macedonian: пу́кање (púkanje) — burst or split
  • Portuguese: rotura — burst or split
  • Portuguese: ruptura — burst or split
  • Portuguese: rutura — burst or split
  • Romanian: ruptură — burst or split
  • Russian: разры́в (razrýv) — burst or split
  • Spanish: rotura — burst or split
  • Ottoman Turkish: فتق (fıtık) — burst or split
  • Ottoman Turkish: چاك (çâk) — burst or split
  • Armenian: խզում (xzum) — social break
  • Bulgarian: разрив (razriv) — social break
  • Chinese Mandarin: 斷交 /断交 (duànjiāo) — social break
  • Czech: rozkol — social break
  • Czech: roztržka — social break
  • Finnish: välirikko — social break
  • German: Bruch — social break
  • Korean: 결렬 (gyeollyeol) — social break
  • Macedonian: пре́кин (prékin) — social break
  • Macedonian: прекину́вање (prekinúvanje) — social break
  • Macedonian: раскину́вање (raskinúvanje) — social break
  • Russian: разры́в (razrýv) — social break
  • Arabic: تَمَزُّق (tamazzuq) — break in tissue
  • Bulgarian: херния (hernija) — break in tissue
  • Czech: přetržení — break in tissue
  • Czech: prasknutí — break in tissue
  • Czech: ruptura — break in tissue
  • Czech: kýla — break in tissue
  • Finnish: revähdys — break in tissue
  • German: Riss — break in tissue
  • Greek: κήλη (kíli) — break in tissue
  • Indonesian: ruptur — break in tissue
  • Irish: maidhm sheicne (of the peritoneum) — break in tissue
  • Latin: rāmex — break in tissue
  • Latin: ruptūra — break in tissue
  • Macedonian: хе́рнија (hérnija) — break in tissue
  • Plautdietsch: Bruch — break in tissue
  • Portuguese: ruptura — break in tissue
  • Catalan: ruptura — failure mode
  • Finnish: venymä — failure mode
  • German: Zerreißen — failure mode
  • Italian: rottura — failure mode
  • Korean: 파단 (padan) — failure mode
  • Russian: разры́в (razrýv) — failure mode
  • Bulgarian: спуквам се (spukvam se) — to burst, break through, or split, as under pressure
  • Czech: prasknout — to burst, break through, or split, as under pressure
  • Finnish: puhjeta — to burst, break through, or split, as under pressure
  • Finnish: haljeta — to burst, break through, or split, as under pressure
  • Finnish: murtua — to burst, break through, or split, as under pressure
  • Latvian: trūkt — to burst, break through, or split, as under pressure
  • Macedonian: пу́ка (púka) — to burst, break through, or split, as under pressure
  • Māori: ngawhewhe — to burst, break through, or split, as under pressure
  • Portuguese: romper — to burst, break through, or split, as under pressure
  • Russian: разрыва́ться (razryvátʹsja) — to burst, break through, or split, as under pressure
  • Russian: разорва́ться (razorvátʹsja) — to burst, break through, or split, as under pressure
  • Spanish: romper — to burst, break through, or split, as under pressure
Real reading context

rupture in complete knowledge articles