(~s, fracturing, ~d)
1.
A ~ is a slight crack or break in something, especially a bone.
At least one-third of all women over ninety have sustained a hip ~.
N-COUNT
2.
If something such as a bone is ~d or ~s, it gets a slight crack or break in it.
You’ve ~d a rib, maybe more than one...
One strut had ~d and been crudely repaired in several places...
He suffered a ~d skull.
VERB: V n, V, V-ed
3.
If something such as an organization or society is ~d or ~s, it splits into several parts or stops existing. (FORMAL)
His policy risks fracturing the coalition...
It might be a society that could ~ along class lines.
VERB: V n, V