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
Survival of the mid-major programs depends on breaking out and forming their own conglomeration.
—
Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
But just then, a battle was breaking out on a podium just a few yards away.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Police said the gathering soon turned contentious, with multiple fights breaking out, and a judge recently sentenced one of the men involved.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 30 Jan. 2026
Sold by MoreThan Films, a buzz title at September Venice Days, now breaking out abroad.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Microsoft first started breaking out Azure revenue growth last quarter.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
Raised in New York, Donnelly immersed herself in musical theater from a young age before breaking out on screen as cheerleader Addison Wells in Disney’s Zombies franchise.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
In Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, where celebrations have been breaking out after the news, Kahn spoke to Dani Miran, the father of Omri, a hostage being held in Gaza.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
There is, to United’s dismay, a definite trend of players breaking out of Old Trafford and finding a new lease of life.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
But just then, a battle was breaking out on a podium just a few yards away.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Police said the gathering soon turned contentious, with multiple fights breaking out, and a judge recently sentenced one of the men involved.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 30 Jan. 2026
Sold by MoreThan Films, a buzz title at September Venice Days, now breaking out abroad.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Microsoft first started breaking out Azure revenue growth last quarter.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
Raised in New York, Donnelly immersed herself in musical theater from a young age before breaking out on screen as cheerleader Addison Wells in Disney’s Zombies franchise.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
In Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, where celebrations have been breaking out after the news, Kahn spoke to Dani Miran, the father of Omri, a hostage being held in Gaza.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
There is, to United’s dismay, a definite trend of players breaking out of Old Trafford and finding a new lease of life.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking out
Verb
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Sometimes, as with Iceland’s volcanoes, the ones in Hawai‘i take turns erupting.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
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While the world is distracted by the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, another conflict is erupting between Iran’s neighbours.—
Harriet Marsden,
TheWeek,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the affordability backlash is on the brink of exploding in another sector of the economy, where the AI boom is already raising the price of consumer electronics.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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The deals are exploding all over Amazon's Big Spring Sale, and all of the top computer brands are getting in on the action.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaking out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20out. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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