Entry Word: outbreak

Function: noun

Meaning: a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity <there was an immediate outbreak of paper shuffling and a pretense of work when the teacher re-entered the room>

Synonyms burst, flare, flare-up, flash, flicker, flurry, flutter, outburst, spurt

Related Words binge, jag, spree; boost, increase, pickup, upswing, upturn; epidemic, eruption, explosion, paroxysm; deluge, flood, rush, spate, surge; commotion, furor, uproar

Near Antonyms calm, doldrums, slump