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

Bad flashback California is expensive enough with a bout of inflation. —Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 15 Jan. 2026

The film focused on a serious bout of depression and childhood PTSD that Springsteen weathered while writing and recording the seminal 1982 album Nebraska. —Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 14 Jan. 2026

Add in the capture of Maduro and an online MAGA army demanding validation of its theories, and America seems destined for a new bout of feverish conspiracism just in time for the midterms. —Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2026

Unexpected absences of some Republicans from votes and bouts of resistance from both hard-liners and moderates, who have repeatedly bucked leadership and threatened to derail key bills, are another problem for Johnson. —Sudiksha Kochi, The Hill, 13 Jan. 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