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

Robinson, who missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, practiced in limited fashion all three sessions this week before being ruled out Friday for the Falcons’ Week 9 bout with the Cincinnati Bengals at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 7 Nov. 2026

Starting forward Josh Hart missed his second consecutive game due to a nagging bout with right ankle soreness on Saturday. — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 2026

The moves follow a bout of heavy selling during Thursday's regular Wall Street session that saw the three major averages post their worst one-day performances since April 2025. — Jenni Reid,lee Ying Shan,paulina Likos, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026

Both Broward and Palm Beach counties were soaked with several bouts of heavy rain starting Monday. — Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 5 Nov. 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