Synonyms of break out

break out 1 of 2

verb

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

• erupt
• burst (forth)
• explode
• flare (up)
• blaze (up)
• flame
• swell
• mount
• rocket
• skyrocket
• touch off
• proliferate
• multiply
• wax
• detonate
• mushroom
• snowball
• blow up
• balloon
• burgeon

breakout

2 of 2

noun

ˈbrāk-ˌau̇t 

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

• escape
• flight
• break
• rout
• getaway
• bunk
• rescue
• slip
• liberation
• lam
• redemption
• release
• salvation
• deliverance
• jailbreak
• close call
• close shave
• near miss

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confinement
• imprisonment
• incarceration
• captivity
• retention
• holding
• custody
• risk
• detention
• trouble
• hold
• internment
• hazard
• jeopardy
• immurement
• peril
• imperilment
• endangerment

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of break out

Verb

Attacks on oil tankers in the Middle East pushed global crude prices above $108 a barrel as of Tuesday, which amounted to a rise of about 50% since the Iran war broke out in late February. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

This wasn’t the kind of near-autonomous hack like the one in July when OpenAI agents broke out of their testing ground and hacked AI company Hugging Face. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Noun

Roundhill Investments, whose DRAM ETF has been a breakout star this year with close to $25 billion in assets, is planning to get in on the trade as well, through its CCML ETF, also currently in registration with the SEC. — Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026

The 19-year-old center back enjoyed a breakout performance at the Women’s AFCON tournament. — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026