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

• 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

That bout, however, ended in a no-contest and was met with a poor reception from the live audience. —Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025

Stocks remain near record highs , although October saw bouts of volatility that saw some of the largest one-day losses in stock market history. —Michelle Fox, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025

Since then, the 48-year-old American has participated in exhibition bouts, last stepping into the ring against John Gotti III in 2024. —Ben Morse, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025

The Big Lebowski star, 75, stepped back from screen acting following a bout with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2020 and a serious case of COVID-19 shortly thereafter. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025

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