Thesaurus results for BROKE OUT

broke out

verb

past tense of break out

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of broke out On the model that broke out How an AI system escaped its sandbox during an evaluation, accessed another company’s system, and returned an answer—a moment Altman describes as OpenAI’s biggest single wake-up call. — Fortune Editors, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026 Green was performing in Albuquerque, New Mexico over the weekend when a fight in the crowd broke out during his show, according to Whiskey Riff. — David Hookstead Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026 Fires broke out over 10,000 acres of eastern Washington, even spreading across the state and into Oregon. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 14 Sep. 2026 On that sixth consecutive practice, for example, a couple of scraps broke out. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026 The fire broke out in a canyon and moved up the hillsides, Navarre said. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026 This movie marks a striking introduction behind the camera for Fern, who broke out as an actor in Ryan Murphy franchises like American Crime Story and American Horror Story before most recently starring in the third season of Foundation. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 But the climb hasn’t been steady, with index has experiencing volatility as the war with Iran broke out. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026 When the Second World War broke out, Hermès was not existentially threatened. — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke out

Verb

Chaos erupted in the backfield on nearly every clear passing down for Mayfield, none larger than the final sack-fumble of the day by Mafe.

— Zak Keefer, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
The exchange is the latest chapter in a public disagreement that erupted after Clancy's trial, when Reddington publicly criticized the lone holdout juror who prevented a unanimous verdict on murder charges.

— Brittany Miller , Bryan Llenas, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of erupted

Verb

Walker took the handoff, hit the seam, and exploded 60 yards to the house, becoming the first Chiefs back to log over 140 rushing yards and a touchdown in a game since Kareem Hunt in 2017.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026
El Niño has prevented that same type of wind shear over the exceptionally warm Pacific and activity exploded.

— Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026