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
Perry sat behind upperclassmen for two seasons, before breaking out as a junior and leading the Wolverines to two state championships.
—
Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
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
Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking out
Verb
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Video from inside the cabin shows passengers erupting into cheers and applause, some shouting in relief after the aircraft came to a stop.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
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On social media, Italian fans were disgusted by the performance, erupting into a meltdown rarely seen.—
Tyler Erzberger,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Ponson had heard the lore of fast-developing storms in the northern Gulf — systems that escaped the notice of meteorologists — before exploding into near-gale winds, towering waves and rare but deadly storms.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
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But Explosive News’ videos might be the world’s most potent example of slopaganda yet, changing hearts and minds—or at least generating lots of clicks—one exploding toy battleship at a time.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaking out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20out. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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