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
Sold by MoreThan Films, a buzz title at September Venice Days, now breaking out abroad.
—
John Hopewell, Variety, 24 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
So my face started breaking out, my stomach was hurting.
—Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 17 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
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
The Cavaliers are breaking out navy blue throwbacks.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Without breaking out of the Vulcan mode, Oswalt nicely conveys the character’s unlikely charisma.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
John Hopewell, Variety, 24 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
So my face started breaking out, my stomach was hurting.
—Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 17 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
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
The Cavaliers are breaking out navy blue throwbacks.
—Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Without breaking out of the Vulcan mode, Oswalt nicely conveys the character’s unlikely charisma.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking out
Verb
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There, the Cougars celebrated by erupting into song.—
Mitch Sherman,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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Thunderstorms erupting in the South and Midwest to kick off the weekend could turn severe and produce dangerous winds, a few tornadoes and heavy rain.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The neoliberal revolution, driven by former President Ronald Reagan in the United States and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom, expanded capital markets enough to create whole new industries out of manipulating financial instruments; thus, exploding the finance industry.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
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With satellites orbiting the Earth exploding into tens of thousands of pieces, the danger of collisions with space debris is a major problem, so Atomic-6 has developed new Space Armor tiles that are lighter and more effective than current systems.—
David Szondy
October 26,
New Atlas,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breaking out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20out. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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