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

• 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

Jenkins was ready, calmly raising his camera to capture the eruption. —John Armwood Iii, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025

The Novarupta eruption of 1912 was known as the greatest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025

This recurrent nova, known for its rapid eruptions approximately every 38 years, was last observed in 2009. —Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2025

This suggests that this eruption might not have been the main cause of the population bottleneck originally suggested in the Toba catastrophe hypothesis. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2025

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