break out 1 of 2

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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breakout

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of break out
Verb
And there are directors — aside from Yorgos Lanthimos, obviously — that are really exciting and are breaking out on the festival circuit. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025 Tesla only reports global sales figures and the company does not break out sales by region. Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
Casting has not been announced, though it’s not expected that any of the original cast members from The CW’s Riverdale — which included breakout stars KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes and Cole Sprouse — will reprise their roles. Andy Swift, TVLine, 1 Oct. 2025 The recent breakout Marcello Hernández, who got a lot of screen time last season, will likely be afforded plenty more room to grow. David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for break out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for break out
Verb
  • During its first flyby of Saturn’s moon Enceladus in 2005, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft captured dramatic water ice plumes erupting into space from the moon’s south pole.
    Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
  • The leaves on the park’s deciduous trees erupt into every shade of deep scarlet, fiery orange, and golden yellow—and visitors have front-row seats to see it all.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Heartbreaking to hear her talk about needing an escape from her abusive husband.
    Grace Byron, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Among the Trees and Hilltops After Nobu’s serene luxury, Acre Resort was a lush escape.
    Lisa Greissinger, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • From there the phrase has exploded with TikTokers and even some Reddit users finding ways to incorporate the term and its accompanying hand gestures into their content.
    Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The post also included a video showing aerial footage of a fast-moving boat at sea that suddenly explodes.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The kids associate helicopters with life flights to the local hospital, a sign that someone has been seriously injured, Cornelison said.
    John Wisely, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
  • But, here's how the shutdown could affect you from mail to flights to the stock market.
    Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Break out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/break%20out. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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