1
: a narrow opening or crack of considerable length and depth usually occurring from some breaking or parting
a fissure in the earth's crust
2
a
: a natural cleft between body parts or in the substance of an organ
b
: a break or slit in tissue usually at the junction of skin and mucous membrane
3
: a separation or disagreement in thought or viewpoint : schism
fissures in a political party
fissured; fissuring
Synonyms
Examples of fissure in a Sentence
Noun
a fissure in the Earth's crust
a deep fissure in the ice
Recent Examples on the Web
Ashoka Mody, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
Roughly 3 million gallons of oil, about 4.5 Olympic swimming pools, spewed through fissures in the ocean floor after an oil well six miles off the southern California coast blew out.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fissure 
Noun
Under Modi’s rule, India has taken a sharp turn toward autocracy, but to get there, the BJP had only to drive a truck through the fissures in the state’s democratic foundations that earlier governments had already widened.
—Ashoka Mody, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
Roughly 3 million gallons of oil, about 4.5 Olympic swimming pools, spewed through fissures in the ocean floor after an oil well six miles off the southern California coast blew out.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fissure
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fissure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fissure
Cite this Entry
“Fissure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fissure. Accessed 5 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
fissure
noun
fis·sure
ˈfish-ər, British also ˈfish-yu̇r 
1
: a natural cleft between body parts or in the substance of an organ: as
a
: any of several clefts separating the lobes of the liver
b
: any of various clefts between bones or parts of bones in the skull
c
: any of the deep clefts of the brain
especially
: one of those located at points of elevation in the walls of the ventricles compare sulcus
d
2
: a break or slit in tissue usually at the junction of skin and mucous membrane
fissure of the lip
3
: a linear developmental imperfection in the enamel of a tooth
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