fault line

noun

: something resembling a fault : split, rift
… a major conceptual fault line in foreign policy …—Morton Kondracke

Examples of fault line in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And before the festival has even opened, several of those fault lines have already erupted into controversy. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026 The Himalayan landmass, where last week’s deadly flooding in Nepal and China took place, rises from shifting fault lines and is sliced by mighty rivers that are fed by glaciers. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026 Following the return of Nigeria to democracy in 1999, several states in the northern region advocated for Shariah, revealing the fault lines of Nigeria’s federalism and status as a secular state. — ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 Three years later, on March 16, 1991, another killing fell along a similar racial fault line. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fault line

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fault line was in 1869

Rhymes for fault line

See All Rhymes for fault line

Browse Nearby Words

faultless
fault line
fault-line scarp
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fault line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fault%20line. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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