as in to erupt
to develop suddenly and violently
in the wake of news reports of deaths from the flu, panic broke out, and there was a mad rush for flu shots
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in escape
the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement
the captives had been planning to stage a breakout at the next change in shift for the guards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break out
Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
The anti-nuclear artists collective whose work is on display at Pitzer College in Claremont never predicted a nuclear proliferation crisis would break out in the Middle East during their exhibit, or how grimly topical their work would quickly become as a result.
—Chloe Shrager, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Somewhere between his breakout in Mani Ratnam‘s ‘Gitanjali’ in the late 1980s and his forthcoming 100th film, Akkineni Nagarjuna has made four decades feel like a beginning.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break out
Verb
The charge stemmed from earlier this month after a fight broke out between his girlfriend and another streamer, Jenny Popach.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
The anti-nuclear artists collective whose work is on display at Pitzer College in Claremont never predicted a nuclear proliferation crisis would break out in the Middle East during their exhibit, or how grimly topical their work would quickly become as a result.
—Chloe Shrager, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
While viral videos often blame everything from breakouts to dullness on air conditioning alone, Jafari says the reality is less dramatic.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Somewhere between his breakout in Mani Ratnam‘s ‘Gitanjali’ in the late 1980s and his forthcoming 100th film, Akkineni Nagarjuna has made four decades feel like a beginning.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break out
Verb
-
The Arlington Grace Prep Lions erupted for five runs in the bottom of the first inning, cruising to a 9-2 victory over New Braunfels Allegiance in a non-district high school baseball contest Friday at the campus of Colleyville Covenant Christian.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
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The manager of a nearby bodega said the victims were arguing with another teen before the shooting erupted.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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April itself may feel too full for an extended escape, but don't overlook what's available close by.—
Kirah Tabourn,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
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An excavator was used on Thursday to dig an escape channel after earlier unsuccessful efforts to coax the whale back toward deeper water, including using coast guard and fire department boats to create large waves.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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At the same time, the mission will test flight controllers and procedures needed to safely send astronauts back to the moon for long-duration stays as NASA makes plans for a future moon base.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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The hydrogen leaks and unrelated helium blockages stalled the flight for two months, coming on top of years of vexing delays and cost overruns.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Israeli media said cluster munitions, which explode mid-air and scatter bomblets across a wide area, were used in the attack.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
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However, once the existence of dark energy was revealed, the activity of theorists in these arenas simply exploded, with many variants and parametrizations becoming popular or fashionable at various times.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20out. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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