bout

noun

ˈbau̇t 

: a spell or period of activity: such as

a

: an athletic match (as of boxing)

lost his bout with the champion

b

: outbreak, attack

a bout of pneumonia

frequent bouts of depression

survived her bout with cancer

c

: session

a drinking bout

a bout of unemployment

Synonyms of bout

• tournament
• competition
• event
• game
• match
• contest

Examples of bout in a Sentence

undoubtedly the team's best wrestler, he hasn't lost a bout yet

she's currently suffering from a bout of the flu

Recent Examples on the Web

Dozens of Iranians have died since the last bout of strikes and counterstrikes began, and thousands since February. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 17 July 2026

The contest featured robots delivering punches, kicks and recovery moves, with some continuing to fight despite losing heads during bouts, highlighting advances in humanoid mobility, balance and impact resilience under competitive conditions. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026

Held in Las Vegas, the five-bout main card climaxed with the premature faceoff between McGregor and Holloway, who last fought each other in 2013. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 16 July 2026

The firing of Fedorov has led to panic in many Western pro-Ukraine circles, with observers fearing Zelensky is squandering Ukraine’s recent bout of good fortune through firing the mastermind of Ukraine’s drone advancements. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 16 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

English dialect, a trip going and returning in plowing, from Middle English bought bend

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bout

• clout
• doubt
• drought
• flout
• gout
• grout
• kraut
• lout
• out
• pout
• rout
• scout

Kids Definition

bout

noun

ˈbau̇t 

1

: a spell of activity

nonstop bout of reading

2

: an athletic match

wrestling bout

3

: attack entry 2 sense 3

a bout of measles