as in erupting
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
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Recent Examples of breaking out
Cuban officials on Friday said that Joanne Chesimard, who was convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper, has died in Havana decades after breaking out of prison and escaping to the communist island.
—
Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Raised in New York, Donnelly immersed herself in musical theater from a young age before breaking out on screen in Zombies and later starring in ABC's American Housewife.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
The Cavaliers are breaking out navy blue throwbacks.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
This zoomed out weekly chart shows that the two prior bullish breakouts had extreme follow-through—Bitcoin advanced over 130% in late 2023 and another 50% in 2024 AFTER breaking out.
—Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
Without breaking out of the Vulcan mode, Oswalt nicely conveys the character’s unlikely charisma.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
White was a bit of a disappointment over his first four years in the league, actually showing some clear signs of regression in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before finally breaking out a couple of seasons ago.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
The movie also begins after Superman ignites an international incident by stopping a war from breaking out between the fictional neighboring nations Boravia and Jarhanpur.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
After breaking out on The Good Place and seducing us to the Dark Side as a smoldering Sith Daddy (#savetheacolyte), Jacinto is at long last getting his due as a romantic leading man.
—Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Raised in New York, Donnelly immersed herself in musical theater from a young age before breaking out on screen in Zombies and later starring in ABC's American Housewife.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
The Cavaliers are breaking out navy blue throwbacks.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
This zoomed out weekly chart shows that the two prior bullish breakouts had extreme follow-through—Bitcoin advanced over 130% in late 2023 and another 50% in 2024 AFTER breaking out.
—Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
Without breaking out of the Vulcan mode, Oswalt nicely conveys the character’s unlikely charisma.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
White was a bit of a disappointment over his first four years in the league, actually showing some clear signs of regression in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before finally breaking out a couple of seasons ago.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
The movie also begins after Superman ignites an international incident by stopping a war from breaking out between the fictional neighboring nations Boravia and Jarhanpur.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
After breaking out on The Good Place and seducing us to the Dark Side as a smoldering Sith Daddy (#savetheacolyte), Jacinto is at long last getting his due as a romantic leading man.
—Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking out
Verb
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The Super Bowl contender Bills did win handily in Week 2, but New York rebounded in Week 3 against the Buccaneers, erupting for a 21-point fourth quarter behind backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor to hold a lead entering the final minute of regulation.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
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But instead of shattering plates, gunshots cut through the music and the celebration devolved into chaos — the latest instance of gun violence erupting at a seemingly safe place in the US.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Hong Kong — The sight of a multi-colored fireworks exploding in the foothills of the Himalayas has sparked a furious environmental backlash, prompting a local government investigation in China and forcing global outdoor apparel brand Arc’teryx to issue an apology.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
22 Sep. 2025
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The exploding market of phone users also propelled the massive growth of social media companies like Facebook and Twitter.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaking out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20out. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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