eruption

noun

erup·​tion i-ˈrəp-shən 

1

a

: 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)

Synonyms of eruption

• explosion
• outburst
• burst

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

Still in shock and traumatized, the teens tried their best to recount the events that had, inexplicably to them, led to the eruption of gunfire. —Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026

Perhaps a cataclysm—an earthquake, a volcanic eruption—had driven those people away. —Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026

Their soils range from light volcanic sand to dense basalt rock, often layered with ash from relatively recent eruptions. —Emily Price, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026

The Gilded Age saw an eruption of scandal and corruption that accompanied and even enabled the transformation of the American economy alongside explosive changes in technology. —Walter Russell Mead, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing eruption

• creeping eruption
• post-eruption

Rhymes for eruption

• corruption
• disruption
• irruption
• incorruption
• interruption

Kids Definition

eruption

noun

erup·​tion i-ˈrəp-shən 

1

: an act, process, or instance of erupting

2

: a product (as a skin rash) of erupting

Medical Definition

eruption

noun

erup·​tion i-ˈrəp-shən 

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