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

The highly anticipated bout, taking place at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California, will be streamed live on TikTok, marking a groundbreaking first for a championship boxing card. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Wright has sung all over the world, and is regularly heard before rugby union internationals, NFL games in London and boxing bouts. — Paul Newman, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

After the bout, Shakur got in a fight with Anderson inside the casino that was captured on surveillance video, prosecutors allege. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026

Similar bouts of traders closing short positions in early June and early July initially pushed prices higher before the gains eventually faded. — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 18 Aug. 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