as in erupted
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 broke out
Investigators said several minors were in the home when a fight broke out and one of them pulled out a gun.
—
Richard Ramos, CBS News, 3 June 2026
Scouts did say some of the same things (low effort, low pace, soft big man with skill) about Dean Letourneau, who ultimately went in the first round and broke out as a sophomore at BC this year (though Letourneau is a better athlete and taller).
—Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 3 June 2026
China insulated itself from the oil shortfalls and rationing of neighboring countries in large part because of its mammoth crude stockpiles – prescient fuel warehousing that the government built up well before the war broke out.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
Although the march began peacefully, tensions escalated as clashes broke out between protesters and police.
—ABC News, 3 June 2026
The story centers around protests that broke out in January.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2026
The stock reclaimed its 50-day, consolidated, and broke out above $260 last week.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 26 May 2026
However, several other disturbances broke out as hundreds of people on the beach attempted to leave simultaneously, officials noted.
—Louis Casiano , Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 20 May 2026
The blaze is one of several that recently broke out in Southern California, including the largest fire ever recorded on Santa Rosa Island and two brush fires that broke out in Riverside County on Tuesday.
—Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Richard Ramos, CBS News, 3 June 2026
Scouts did say some of the same things (low effort, low pace, soft big man with skill) about Dean Letourneau, who ultimately went in the first round and broke out as a sophomore at BC this year (though Letourneau is a better athlete and taller).
—Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 3 June 2026
China insulated itself from the oil shortfalls and rationing of neighboring countries in large part because of its mammoth crude stockpiles – prescient fuel warehousing that the government built up well before the war broke out.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
Although the march began peacefully, tensions escalated as clashes broke out between protesters and police.
—ABC News, 3 June 2026
The story centers around protests that broke out in January.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2026
The stock reclaimed its 50-day, consolidated, and broke out above $260 last week.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 26 May 2026
However, several other disturbances broke out as hundreds of people on the beach attempted to leave simultaneously, officials noted.
—Louis Casiano , Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 20 May 2026
The blaze is one of several that recently broke out in Southern California, including the largest fire ever recorded on Santa Rosa Island and two brush fires that broke out in Riverside County on Tuesday.
—Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke out
Verb
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The Peruvians erupted again a few minutes later when one of their players came close to scoring an own goal but was rescued by teammate Fabio Gruber, who sprinted into the box and made a spectacular clearance off the line just before the ball went in.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
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Nelson Molina, cousin Yanu Molina, gounded, followed with a ground ball to first where Trey Baugus pitched to Davenport covering for the final out as the Keller faithful erupted.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Many of the companies have started offering GLP-1 medications for weight loss as demand for these drugs has exploded.—
Maia Rosenfeld,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
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More about the rocket that exploded, Blue Origin The rocket that exploded was Blue Origin's fourth New Glenn rocket and was supposed to be the vehicle to carry Blue Origin's lunar lander to orbit.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broke out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20out. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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