1
as in flurry
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity
there was an immediate outbreak of paper shuffling and a pretense of work when the supervisor passed through the room
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in revolt
open fighting against authority (as one's own government)
the government quelled the outbreak with ruthless efficiency
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of outbreak
However, exceptions may apply for infants in areas experiencing outbreaks or those traveling internationally.
—
Evan Moore
july 22, Charlotte Observer, 22 July 2025
This discovery is a big deal – until now, efforts to control outbreaks, or swarms, of these animals have been laborious and largely futile, requiring individual animals to be sited and removed.
—New Atlas, 20 July 2025
This follows an alarming trend in which millions of people have become ill during recent dengue outbreaks in the Americas.
—Matthew Binnicker, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
Since the initial plague outbreak in the United States in the early 1900s, the disease-causing bacteria moved from urban rats to rural rodents.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for outbreak
Evan Moore
july 22, Charlotte Observer, 22 July 2025
This discovery is a big deal – until now, efforts to control outbreaks, or swarms, of these animals have been laborious and largely futile, requiring individual animals to be sited and removed.
—New Atlas, 20 July 2025
This follows an alarming trend in which millions of people have become ill during recent dengue outbreaks in the Americas.
—Matthew Binnicker, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
Since the initial plague outbreak in the United States in the early 1900s, the disease-causing bacteria moved from urban rats to rural rodents.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for outbreak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbreak
Noun
-
That area has seen a flurry of property sales since Mayor Joe Hogsett announced his intentions to build a professional league stadium at what is now the downtown Indianapolis heliport, but some of the Simon property purchases predate the mayor's public announcement.—
Alysa Guffey,
IndyStar,
25 July 2025
-
This move could be the first of a flurry after Arizona was swept by Houston earlier this week.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
Wells’s revolt against White led to the making of one of New York’s greatest houses.—
Henry Wiencek
July 22,
Literary Hub,
22 July 2025
-
While little is known about Slur's motives beyond his desire for revolt, his connection to the JAA and his old classmates hint that there's more to his story.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
The galaxy can be seen undergoing a burst of star formation thanks to the tidal influence of a galactic neighbor, with the glowing red form of an emission nebula visible throughout, giving the impression of a cosmic firework display.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
13 July 2025
-
The raging river bursts from its banks around this time, sweeping homes, cars, campers and cabins downstream.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
This number approaches Trump's 34 percent approval rating before leaving office at the end of his first term, on the heels of the January 6 insurrection.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
-
Behar began, alluding to the 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
Also, any strong and sudden outbursts in meteor activity — which are hard to predict, but possible — may last only a few hours.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
-
The incident occurred after Brickhouse accused her co-workers of stealing her phone, leading to a violent outburst, court filings say.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
Hard-line Israelis like Netanyahu believe the Palestinians don’t want peace, citing the second Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s, and more recently the Hamas takeover of Gaza two years after Israel withdrew from the territory in 2005.—
Edith M. Lederer,
Chicago Tribune,
28 July 2025
-
The result was a line drive to center that scored Ha-Seong Kim from third to tie the game and trigger a three-run uprising in a 4-3 win.—
Tom Layberger,
Forbes.com,
27 July 2025
Noun
-
The voyage is exhausting beyond expectations, with hunger and mutiny pushing the crew to their limits.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
9 May 2025
-
Along the way, the exhausting voyage involved various mutinies and crew deaths, and upon reaching the islands of the Malayan Archipelago, Magellan’s mind and ambitions changed.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
18 May 2025
Noun
-
Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans, by contrast, advanced a more limited vision of federal governance, including a revenue system that relied heavily on tariffs and not at all on internal taxes (like the controversial excise on whiskey that sparked the eponymous rebellion).—
Joseph Thorndike,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
-
To be clear, not all teens are taking part in some sort of mass rebellion by staring us down.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
17 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outbreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outbreak. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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