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
Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
Just over a week after a Thornton Township meeting broke out in brawl involving Supervisor Tiffany Henyard, anti-Henyard activists and others, township trustees met yesterday to discuss their budget proposal and fire two employees.
—Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 6 Feb. 2025
At least 165 women were raped by male inmates after a mass breakout from a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said, citing officials in the central African nation.
—Astha Rajvanshi, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for break out 
Verb
Long before the fires broke out, Shaw had planned a trip to visit his father, Zhi Feng Zhao, in Altadena.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
Just over a week after a Thornton Township meeting broke out in brawl involving Supervisor Tiffany Henyard, anti-Henyard activists and others, township trustees met yesterday to discuss their budget proposal and fire two employees.
—Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
Noun
What’s made The Traitors a breakout hit through its first three seasons are the players.
—Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 6 Feb. 2025
At least 165 women were raped by male inmates after a mass breakout from a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said, citing officials in the central African nation.
—Astha Rajvanshi, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for break out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break out
Verb
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The chaos first erupted during last week’s Roundtable when Survivor’s Caorlyn Wiger attacked her fellow Traitor, Big Brother’s Danielle Reyes, for dropping her name while Danielle tried to vote out Survivor’s Boston Rob Mariano.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
7 Feb. 2025
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In 1989 and 1990, the George H.W. Bush Administration promoted negotiations to end the first intifada — a Palestinian uprising that erupted in 1987 — on a land-for-peace basis.—
Peter L. Hahn / Made by History,
TIME,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Rivera said she and her two young children were trapped — the flames blocked every escape route.—
Jesse Coburn,
Curbed,
31 Jan. 2025
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John Nigh — whose criminal history includes violent charges and spans multiple counties — is being pursued by the Craven County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force and other agencies following his escape from the Craven County Jail on Sunday afternoon.—
Greg Norman,
Fox News,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
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When SpaceX’s Starship exploded in January, raining debris over the Caribbean, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily grounded the rocket program and ordered an investigation.—
Heather Vogell,
ProPublica,
11 Feb. 2025
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The virus is not known to spread between humans, which has prevented the outbreak from exploding into the next pandemic.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Using data from four flights of NASA's Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), the lab produced a map showing the motion of the landslide in the region.—
Kristan Hawkins,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announces on Fox News that the first flights of immigrants in the U.S. without legal status arrive at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
7 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near break out
Cite this Entry
“Break out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20out. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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