fault line

See synonyms for fault line on Thesaurus.com
nounGeology.
  1. the intersection of a fault with the surface of the earth or other plane of reference.

Origin of fault line

1
First recorded in 1865–70

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fault line in a sentence

  • There is, moreover, evidence of actual compression of the earth's crust at right angles to the fault-line.

  • "The fault line I mentioned is so obvious you can't miss it," he said to Joyce.

    Cubs of the Wolf | Raymond F. Jones

British Dictionary definitions for fault line

fault line

noun
  1. Also called: fault plane geology the surface of a fault fracture along which the rocks have been displaced

  2. a potentially disruptive division or area of contention: Europe remains the main fault line in the Tory Party

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012