resquebrajar

to crack

verb rres-keh-brah-HAHR Rare

Also means

to split

Usage Note

Resquebrajar means to cause surface cracks or fissures in something hard — walls, ceramics, or metaphorically relationships and institutions. It is often used reflexively: la pared se resquebrajó ('the wall cracked'). The related noun is resquebrajamiento ('cracking, splintering'). It is more vivid and specific than the simple romper ('to break'), implying a network of fine cracks rather than a clean break.

Examples

"El calor resquebrajó la pintura del muro."

Natural Translation

The heat cracked the paint on the wall.

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