breakout

1 of 3

noun

break·​out ˈbrāk-ˌau̇t 

plural breakouts

1

: a violent or forceful break from a restraining condition or situation: such as

a

: a military attack to break from encirclement

b

: an escape from prison or jail

2

a

: an eruption or inflammation of the skin

Because stress can throw your hormones out of balance, it can make normal sebaceous glands produce oil at an increased rate, causing breakouts.

—Harper's Bazaar

b

: an outbreak of disease

a measles breakout

3

: a success or accomplishment especially in comparison to previous efforts

His breakout in 2006 felt like one of those too-good-to-be-true narratives …

—S. L. Price

4

: breakout session

They met in breakouts to exchange beat information and story ideas on the crucial coverage areas …

—Editor & Publisher

5

ice hockey : a play that moves the puck out of the defensive zone

… several drills during practice stressed short, crisp passing on the breakouts.

—David J. Neal

breakout

2 of 3

adjective

1

: being or relating to a sudden or overwhelming success especially in comparison to previous efforts

a breakout book

2

: being, relating to, or used in a breakout session

a breakout discussion

breakout activities

… some students have thrived in the small groups afforded by virtual breakout rooms.

—Jal Mehta

In breakout groups, they debated which proposals would have the most impact, but also the most support.

—Hannan Adely

break out

3 of 3

verb

broke out; broken out; breaking out; breaks out

intransitive verb

1

: to develop or emerge with suddenness or force

fire broke out

a riot broke out

2

a

: to become covered

break out in a sweat

b

: to become affected with an eruption or inflammation of the skin

break out in hives

his face broke out with acne

3

: to make a break from a restraining condition or situation

broke out of a slump

broke out of jail

transitive verb

1

a

: to make ready for action or use

break out the tents and make camp

b

: to produce for consumption

break out a bottle of champagne

2

: to display flying and unfurled

3

: to separate from a mass of data

break out newsstand sales

Synonyms of breakout

Noun

• escape
• flight

Verb

• erupt
• burst (forth)
• explode

Examples of breakout in a Sentence

Noun

the captives had been planning to stage a breakout at the next change in shift for the guards

Adjective

The company had a breakout year last year, tripling its profits from the previous year.

Verb

in the wake of news reports of deaths from the flu, panic broke out, and there was a mad rush for flu shots

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Netflix has lost more than 40% of its value since June 2025 amid concerns about engagement trends and a lack of breakout hits. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

For Obsession writer-director Curry Barker, rolling out a follow-up to the biggest surprise breakout of the year is a pretty daunting task — especially given Barker cast himself in the film’s lead role. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026

Adjective

That’s a shame, because Eleazar gives a layered and unsentimental performance in what should be her breakout role, even as Rock’s film turns out to hide some curious ideas about women. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026

Ashley has been one of the breakout stars for TCU (2-3, 0-2) with 374 yards and four touchdowns this season. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026

Verb

In Lyon, France's third-largest city where about 20,000 protesters joined the march, a fire broke out inside a tourist office. — Sylvie Corbet, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026

Four people died and dozens more were injured after a fire broke out at a Canadian military base in Alberta on Saturday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Sunday afternoon. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 18 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing breakout

• breakout session

Rhymes for breakout

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout
• dugout

Kids Definition

break out

verb

1

: to develop or erupt suddenly and with force

fire broke out

a riot broke out

2

: to develop a skin rash

broke out in hives

Medical Definition

breakout

1 of 2 noun

break·​out ˈbrā-ˌkau̇t 

: an eruption or inflammation of the skin

This is especially true for those who have acne and are desperate to stop breakouts without taking prescription antibiotics …

—Stacie Stukin, The Los Angeles Times

Because stress can throw your hormones out of balance, it can make normal sebaceous glands produce oil at an increased rate, causing breakouts.

—Harper's Bazaar

break out

2 of 2 intransitive verb

(ˈ)brā-ˈkau̇t 

1

: to be affected with a skin eruption and especially one indicative of the presence of a particular disease

breaking out with measles

2

of a disease : to manifest itself by skin eruptions

3

: to become covered with

break out in a sweat