bout

noun

ˈbau̇t 

: a spell or period of activity: such as

a

: an athletic match (as of boxing)

lost his bout with the champion

b

: outbreak, attack

a bout of pneumonia

frequent bouts of depression

survived her bout with cancer

c

: session

a drinking bout

a bout of unemployment

Synonyms of bout

• tournament
• competition
• event
• game
• match
• contest

Examples of bout in a Sentence

undoubtedly the team's best wrestler, he hasn't lost a bout yet

she's currently suffering from a bout of the flu

Recent Examples on the Web

Chiarella takes time between bouts of danger to show affection and intimacy that, in defiance of teen-slasher formula, isn’t immediately penalized with sadism. —Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026

Fighters warmed up in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, and some emerged from the Oval Office for their bouts. —Rob Crilly, The Washington Examiner, 19 June 2026

And Louis, perhaps exhausted from his spree of bouts, but also perhaps looking past Schmeling, hadn’t trained much. —Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026

Then, a devastating bout of Legionnaires’ disease in 2021 left his lungs shattered and his liver failing. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

English dialect, a trip going and returning in plowing, from Middle English bought bend

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bout

• clout
• doubt
• drought
• flout
• gout
• grout
• kraut
• lout
• out
• pout
• rout
• scout

Kids Definition

bout

noun

ˈbau̇t 

1

: a spell of activity

nonstop bout of reading

2

: an athletic match

wrestling bout

3

: attack entry 2 sense 3

a bout of measles