as in erupted
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
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Recent Examples of broken out
The clash between Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has broken out into public view at times.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Like his sister, Norm MacLean (Moises Arias) has also broken out of the vaults and come face to face with the Wasteland.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
YouTube’s business also encompasses subscription revenue from YouTube TV, YouTube Premium and YouTube Music, which isn’t broken out by Alphabet.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
In Minneapolis, confrontations have broken out and multiple protesters have been arrested.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Heineman, who was an afterthought for many in the Dobson trade, has broken out as a complementary top-six contributor.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
But soon enough, the tiny fire truck has lost its wheels and a fight has broken out over whose Care Bears keychain is cooler, though neither of my children has ever owned a key.
—Mandy Len Catron, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Violent protests have broken out in the Mexican state of Michoacán over the murder of an outspoken anti-crime mayor, who was killed over the weekend while taking part in a Day of the Dead celebration.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
By the time the wage board announced that the lowest-grade workers would receive 12,500 Bangladeshi taka ($102) per month, full-fledged riots had broken out, drawing police gunfire that killed three workers and resulting in a factory blaze that caused the death of a fourth.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 27 Oct. 2025
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Like his sister, Norm MacLean (Moises Arias) has also broken out of the vaults and come face to face with the Wasteland.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
YouTube’s business also encompasses subscription revenue from YouTube TV, YouTube Premium and YouTube Music, which isn’t broken out by Alphabet.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
In Minneapolis, confrontations have broken out and multiple protesters have been arrested.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Heineman, who was an afterthought for many in the Dobson trade, has broken out as a complementary top-six contributor.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
But soon enough, the tiny fire truck has lost its wheels and a fight has broken out over whose Care Bears keychain is cooler, though neither of my children has ever owned a key.
—Mandy Len Catron, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Violent protests have broken out in the Mexican state of Michoacán over the murder of an outspoken anti-crime mayor, who was killed over the weekend while taking part in a Day of the Dead celebration.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
By the time the wage board announced that the lowest-grade workers would receive 12,500 Bangladeshi taka ($102) per month, full-fledged riots had broken out, drawing police gunfire that killed three workers and resulting in a factory blaze that caused the death of a fourth.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken out
Verb
-
The Crown’s soaked supporters erupted.—
Colin Cerniglia,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Nu Stadium erupted and the game remained knotted 1-1 at halftime.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
An asteroid the size of a house exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk with the force of 440,000 tons of TNT, damaging buildings and injuring more than 1,600 people, according to NASA.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Usually, the fire department starts the program in late April or May, but because of all the weather whiplash the area has seen over the past few months, vegetation has exploded and left many yards and properties with fire hazards.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broken out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20out. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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