outbreak

noun

out·break | \ ˈau̇t-ˌbrāk

Definition of outbreak

1a : a sudden or violent increase in activity or currency the outbreak of war

b : a sudden rise in the incidence of a disease an outbreak of measles

c : a sudden increase in numbers of a harmful organism and especially an insect within a particular area an outbreak of locusts

2 : insurrection, revolt

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Examples of outbreak in a Sentence

there was an immediate outbreak of paper shuffling and a pretense of work when the supervisor passed through the room the government quelled the outbreak with ruthless efficiency

Recent Examples on the Web

Since August 1 the current Ebola outbreak has seen 93 confirmed cases which have caused 54 deaths . — Fox News, "Deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo reaches city of 1.4 million," 7 Sep. 2018 After the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014, Dr. Mahmoud began advocating the creation of a global vaccine-development fund. — Denise Grady, New York Times, "Dr. Adel Mahmoud, Who Was Credited With HPV and Rotavirus Vaccines, Dies at 76," 19 June 2018 An Ebola outbreak in northern Equateur province in 2014 killed 49 people. — Fortune, "Congo Declares Ebola Outbreak After 17 People Die From Virus," 9 May 2018 Prepare to lose it once more when Mary goes blind (still not over this), happy cry during Laura's wedding to Almanzo Wilder, and throw popcorn at your TV when an anthrax outbreak wreaks havoc on the pastoral Walnut Grove. — Blair Donovan, Country Living, "'Little House on the Prairie' Is Now Streaming on Amazon So Cancel Your Weekend Plans," 6 Mar. 2019 Sometimes an outbreak can look more like a really chapped area on your lip. — Hannah Orenstein, Seventeen, ""I Have a Cold Sore. Does That Mean I Have Herpes?"," 22 Feb. 2019 The government used an Ebola outbreak as a pretext to bar voting in opposition strongholds, and security forces broke up opposition rallies. — The Editorial Page, WSJ, "The Congo’s Crooked Contest," 2 Jan. 2019 The romaine lettuce linked to the E. coli outbreak earlier this year was from Yuma, Arizona. — Candice Choi, The Seattle Times, "Americans, Canadians are warned not to eat romaine lettuce," 21 Nov. 2018 During the spring of 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was providing President Obama with daily updates of an HIV outbreak that had busted loose in Austin. — Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: Austin hopes a new ballfield can help in its battle with opioids and HIV," 21 June 2018

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