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

Before their relationship took the world by storm, Kelce’s stardom quickly rose on that field, catching 645 passes during Chiefs home games, including many playoff bouts on their way to Vince Lombardi trophies. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025

Forecasters are expecting two more bouts of rainfall, with heavy showers and a chance of thunderstorms, through Friday. —Angela Yang, NBC news, 25 Dec. 2025

Thunder sang and was a Vietnam veteran and recovering alcoholic while Lightning played keyboards and suffered from bouts of depression. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025

The pair stuck together even as Wags dealt with bouts of homelessness during a years-long battle with addiction. —Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 23 Dec. 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