eruption

noun

erup·tion | \ i-ˈrəp-shən

Definition of eruption

1a : an act, process, or instance of erupting

b : the breaking out of a rash on the skin or mucous membrane

2 : a product of erupting (such as a skin rash)

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Examples of eruption in a Sentence

a great eruption of glee as it suddenly dawned on her that she had won the eruption of the volcano Krakatoa was one of the most violent in global history

Recent Examples on the Web

The area was active and diverse, full of cliffs and the aftermath of volcanic eruptions. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Revealing the new face of a 3.8-million-year-old early human ancestor," 28 Aug. 2019 The exact cause of volcanic lightning — which typically occurs at the start of an eruption — long has been debated among scientists, as the phenomenon is more difficult to study than the lightning that’s associated with thunderstorms. — Fox News, "Stunning image of rare volcanic lightning captured by German photographer: 'It was a scary moment'," 13 Aug. 2019 This analysis led them to conclude that in this time period a cluster of volcanic eruptions were the primary drivers of global temperature change and that their effects lingered over many decades. — Los Angeles Times, "Earth warmed faster in the last few decades than the previous 1,900 years, study says," 24 July 2019 Another series of eruptions 100,000 years ago pushed Mammoth Mountain skyward and sent lava oozing through fissures in the Earth’s crust far below. — Katherine Rodeghier, Dallas News, "Discover Mammoth Lakes, Yosemite’s lesser-known neighbor," 16 July 2019 Earthquakes can increase the risk of volcanic eruption, according to the USGS. — Billy Perrigo, Time, "Magnitude-4.6 Earthquake Rattles Seattle Area Awake," 12 July 2019 But these short visits didn’t let scientists study whether Io’s drumbeat of eruptions follows underlying patterns. — Joshua Sokol, New York Times, "This World Is a Simmering Hellscape. They’ve Been Watching Its Explosions.," 26 June 2019 The contents of the garbage eruption were displayed by the National Park Service. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Heavily Littered Yellowstone Geyser Spews Tons of Trash Into Air During Eruption," 5 Oct. 2018 However, the threat of additional eruptions triggered a final push to find the missing. — NBC News, "Guatemala volcano survivor searches for 46 missing family members," 7 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eruption.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

9 Sep 2019

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Time Traveler for eruption

The first known use of eruption was in 1555

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More Definitions for eruption

eruption

noun

erup·tion | \ i-ˈrəp-shən

Kids Definition of eruption

1 : an instance of a volcano exploding

2 : the bursting out of material from a volcano

3 : the sudden occurrence or appearance of something

eruption

noun

erup·tion | \ i-ˈrəp-shən

Medical Definition of eruption

1 : an act, process, or instance of erupting the eruption of the tooth from the gum specifically : the breaking out of an exanthem or enanthem on the skin or mucous membrane (as in measles)

2 : something produced by an act or process of erupting: as

a : the condition of the skin or mucous membrane caused by erupting

b : one of the lesions (as a pustule) constituting this condition