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
Relevance
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
Danielle Jennings, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025
Maybe break out a good bottle after dinner, just a little treat.
—Amiel Stanek, Bon Appétit, 29 Jan. 2025
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2025
Worthy was thrilled his breakout game came against the Bills.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for break out 
Verb
With just a minute left during the Tuesday, Jan. 28 basketball game between Saint Louis University and Virginia Commonwealth University, a brawl broke out between fans — delaying the game for a full seven minutes, the New York Post reported.
—Danielle Jennings, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025
Maybe break out a good bottle after dinner, just a little treat.
—Amiel Stanek, Bon Appétit, 29 Jan. 2025
Noun
Director Justin Lin was last at the Sundance Film Festival in 2002 with his breakout indie teen crime drama Better Luck Tomorrow.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2025
Worthy was thrilled his breakout game came against the Bills.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 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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That was especially true of West Altadena, an area that got an evacuation order many hours after the Eaton fire exploded last month.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2025
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The spotlight bulb had exploded twenty minutes before the start of the performance.—
Chelsea Edgar,
The New Yorker,
31 Jan. 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 11 Feb. 2025.
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