breakout session

noun

plural breakout sessions

: a presentation, discussion, or activity that takes place as part of a larger event (such as a conference, convention, or seminar) and for which some of the event's participants temporarily separate themselves from the others

Wednesday's workshop will include two panel discussions … followed by a breakout session with audience input.

—Robert Miller

With so many attendees, breakout sessions are essential for one-on-one contact.

—Phaedra Hise

Examples of breakout session in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a small breakout session, Cignetti commanded a crowd that stretched nearly back to the Big Ten Network set, requiring reporters to stand on small structures to get a glimpse of the coach. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 30 July 2026

Not every leadership challenge fits neatly into a breakout session. — Jacob Kupietzky, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

This came to fruition when about 200 local students gathered at West Valley College for a day of panels, breakout sessions and a resource fair. — Rob Moore, Mercury News, 28 July 2026

There was a mix of cooldown and breakout sessions during each song, keeping the fans on their toes at all time. — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for breakout session

• decompression
• dispossession
• indiscretion
• intercession
• introgression
• nonaggression
• prepossession
• recompression
• repossession
• retrocession
• retrogression
• supersession