as in to erupt
to develop suddenly and violently
in the wake of news reports of deaths from the flu, panic broke out, and there was a mad rush for flu shots
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in escape
the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement
the captives had been planning to stage a breakout at the next change in shift for the guards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of break out
Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
By Friday, some employees returned, hoping to retrieve their vehicles that were left behind when the fire broke out.
—Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2026
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
Younger drivers rise Last season featured a breakout cast of rookies who now have a chance to take things to the next level.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break out
Verb
Fights broke out regularly on the city’s streets.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
By Friday, some employees returned, hoping to retrieve their vehicles that were left behind when the fire broke out.
—Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2026
Noun
Quentin Tarantino's ultraviolent World War II fantasy gave the Austrian-German actor his villainous breakout role as Hans Landa, a Nazi baddie with an upper-crust cultural side.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
Younger drivers rise Last season featured a breakout cast of rookies who now have a chance to take things to the next level.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for break out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break out
Verb
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The long-simmering rivalry between Sunni and Shiite Muslims erupted into a civil war that killed tens of thousands of civilians.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The long-festering malaise erupted into street demonstrations last September, triggered by a social media ban, that brought thousands onto the streets, leading to clashes and fatalities that forced the resignation of Oli.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Maritim Marina Bay Resort & Casino, Vlore Located along the picturesque coastline of Vlore, the Maritim Marina Bay Resort & Casino is another high-end escape, this time with panoramic ocean views.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Mar. 2026
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Demonstrators tried to prevent their escape as Lang threw himself and his goat into the truck.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Future hypersonic platform The aircraft is the latest in a series of prototypes designed to rapidly test and refine technologies needed for high-Mach flight.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
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Thousands of people have also left on commercial flights from major transit hubs in the United Arab Emirates.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In addition, the use of automatic license plate readers has exploded around the country in recent years, which allows law enforcement to tap into a vast network of cameras to search the movements of specific cars.—
Meg Anderson,
NPR,
4 Mar. 2026
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The cost to secure power supplies on PJM has exploded in recent years, with $23 billion attributable to data centers, according to watchdog Monitoring Analytics.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Break out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20out. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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