avulsion

noun

avul·​sion ə-ˈvəl-shən 

: a forcible separation or detachment: such as

a

: a tearing away of a body part accidentally or surgically

b

: a sudden cutting off of land by flood, currents, or change in course of a body of water

especially : one separating land from one person's property and joining it to another's

Examples of avulsion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The procedure for a tendon avulsion surgery carries a rehab of 10 to 12 months. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 9 May 2025

The earthquake had caused the avulsion, the first ever recognized in a delta. —Byeli Kintisch, science.org, 17 June 2024

An avulsion is when the tendon that connects the lat muscle to the humerus is torn away from the bone, so surgery is done to reattach the tendon to the bone. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2025

Prescott sustained a partial avulsion, meaning the hamstring tendon partially tore off the bone during the Cowboys' Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for avulsion

• compulsion
• convulsion
• emulsion
• expulsion
• impulsion
• propulsion
• repulsion
• revulsion
• microemulsion

Medical Definition

avulsion

noun

avul·​sion ə-ˈvəl-shən 

: a tearing away of a body part accidentally or surgically

avulsion of the fingernail

Legal Definition

avulsion

noun

avul·​sion ə-ˈvəl-shən 

: a sudden cutting off of land by flood or change in the course of a body of water

especially : one that separates a portion from one person's property and joins it to the property of another compare accretion

Etymology

Latin avulsio act of tearing away, from avellere to tear away, from a- off, away + vellere to pull, pluck