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

That downtrend was definitively broken in 2022 as the nastiest bout of inflation in 40 years took hold. —Michael Khouw, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2026

Onosato and Hoshoryu had both made it to the end of the autumn tournament with records of thirteen wins and two losses, meaning that the Emperor’s Cup would go to whichever yokozuna prevailed in a winner-take-all playoff bout. —Joshua Hunt, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026

Intellectual junk food between bouts of deep focus. —Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026

The rematch is the latest bout to land on Netflix as the platform continues to scoop up top fights for its live sports programming. —Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 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