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
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
Alex Kotlowitz, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
This magma chamber beneath the lake charges the maar with millions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), which seeps up through fissures in the lake floor.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Peter Debruge, Variety, 15 July 2025
Something elemental had fissured, waiting to be spun out.
—Erica Stern
june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fissure
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Noun
The journalist Beth Macy, who in her previous books chronicled the widening fissures in American society by examining the opioid crisis and the aftereffects of globalization, grew up there.
—Alex Kotlowitz, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
This magma chamber beneath the lake charges the maar with millions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), which seeps up through fissures in the lake floor.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
Suzanne’s disappearance will reverberate for years, in much the same way that fissures in her and Jeanne’s upbringing echo throughout their adult lives (their mother died young, and their father was ill-equipped to parent alone).
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 15 July 2025
Something elemental had fissured, waiting to be spun out.
—Erica Stern
june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fissure
Cite this Entry
“Fissure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fissure. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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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