breakout

1 of 3

noun

break·​out ˈbrāk-ˌau̇t How to pronounce breakout (audio)
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

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
The tears and the speech are likely linked to the spate of headlines surrounding Nicole’s brief but highly publicized relationship with Mexican breakout star Peso Pluma. Charis McGowan, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024 Lisa the Vegetarian'' (season 7, episode 5) In the early days, Bart and Homer were the Simpson family's — and the show's — undisputed breakout stars. EW.com, 18 Mar. 2024 The breakout Love Lies Bleeding actress — a former police officer and competitive bodybuilder who grew up in Indiana — shares intimate onscreen moments with costars Kristen Stewart and Dave Franco in the film. Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024 It’s slated for a July 26 release in movie theaters, and stars breakout actor Izaac Wang, Joan Chen and also features Chang Li Hua as the main character’s grandmother. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024 The Most Good Boy: Messi Anatomy of a Fall’s breakout border collie took a 12-hour flight to Los Angeles (presumably without meds) just to endure a marathon junket to promote other people’s nominations? Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 The breakout multiplayer hit Helldivers 2, meanwhile, launched simultaneously on PC and PS5 in February. Andrew Webster, The Verge, 6 Mar. 2024 Lindsay Lohan just paid homage to her breakout movie. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 At a time when minting new superstars is harder than ever, the company won a bidding war (alongside 10K Projects) in fall 2022 for Ice Spice, who would become the defining breakout star of 2023. Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 29 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Thelma & Louise features a supporting cast of Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald and more, including Brad Pitt in what is widely considered his breakout film role. Wendy Naugle, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 Even without her, Oshoala looks poised for a breakout season in her first year in the NWSL. Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024 After his breakout role in the German tragicomedy Good Bye, Lenin! Radhika Seth, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024 The ’90s were a massive breakout period for Blige, and her makeup looks were indicative of it. Shelby Stewart, Essence, 12 Mar. 2024 Photo : Arturo Holmes/Getty Images; Omega Dominic Sessa in an Omega De Ville Tresor Dominic Sessa hit the scene in 2023 during his breakout role in Alexander Payne’s coming-of-age film The Holdovers. Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 Following his breakout role in 1973’s Bang the Drum Slowly and then in Mean Streets, De Niro became one of the most revered actors in the film industry. Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 The Wolf of Wall Street Robbie’s breakout role was in the 2013 dark comedy The Wolf of Wall Street. Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 Sidekick to: The guys of Lambda Epsilon Omega Character actor Pat Cranshaw finally found a breakout role in 2003 as Old School's 89-year-old fratboy Joseph ''Blue'' Pulaski. Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024
Verb
At night, break out old-school card games and spooky stories. 7. Alesandra Dubin, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024 Further, with eight top 10s on his account since 2021, the Puerto Rican breaks out of a tie with Victor Manuelle for the fourth-most top 10s on the decade of the ‘20s. Pamela Bustios, Billboard, 21 Mar. 2024 But to drill down on which roles are most vulnerable to being displaced, researchers broke out jobs by how difficult the tasks are. Matt Egan, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 Hilary Duff has been breaking out her collection of colorful purses in the past few months, from a bright blue Birkin to a red flap bag (which looks to be Chanel) and two different pink purses. Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024 Now, fighting has mostly ended in Tigray itself, but violence has broken out elsewhere and Tigray remains in the midst of a devastating hunger crisis that aid agencies warn could become famine. Ayen Deng Bior, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Mar. 2024 Percussive footwork was multiplied in tight unison, groups moved in handsome lines and circles, castanets trilled and soloists broke out in displays of expertise. Brian Seibert, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024 The company does not break out its food-specific emissions in its carbon footprint and declined to provide numbers Bloomberg Green requested. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024 Two groups of people then gathered in the middle of the parking lot, and a fight broke out, according to the report. Ron Wood, arkansasonline.com, 18 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'breakout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1820, 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of breakout was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near breakout

Cite this Entry

“Breakout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakout. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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 How to pronounce breakout (audio)
: 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
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

More from Merriam-Webster on breakout

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