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

Relevance

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 Exactly a week earlier, a migrant boat with 62 people overturned about 100 miles to the southeast off Mona Island after a fight broke out on the vessel. — David Goodhue october 6, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026 In Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers, Robinson, who had modest showings for his standards in the Falcons’ two losses to begin the year, broke out for 194 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns in the blowout victory at Lambeau Field. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 With front lines frozen, infighting among pro-government factions — which had never been the happiest of allies — broke out into open war, causing a still-unresolved rift between Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 Weather wasn’t the only challenge, as a literal war broke out during production. — William Earl, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026 Two YouTube creators-turned-directors broke out in a big way. — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026 And a fire broke out at an oil facility in the Saudi capital, with no details released on the cause. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026 The utility this weekend also de-energized lines around a brush fire that broke out Saturday, prompting evacuation orders several miles south of Lahaina town, the site of the 2023 deadly fires. — Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026 And over the summer, two models that were being tested by OpenAI broke out of their isolated testing environment, gained internet access and breached another company called Hugging Face. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke out

Verb

Two men were killed and nearly three dozen people injured when gunfire erupted at a homecoming weekend block party in Vienna, a small town in south Georgia.

— Mike Stewart, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
His nose bled frequently, and his whole body regularly erupted into sudden, violent bouts of chills.

— Trisha Thadani Kirsten Potter Tanya Pérez Devin Murphy, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of erupted

Verb

Widening the southern portion of State Highway 69 has been a priority for the state as South Meridian and Kuna’s populations have exploded in recent years.

— Rose Evans October 6, Idaho Statesman, 6 Oct. 2026
Combos, or multiple contracts stacked together that only pay out if all of them win — similar to parlays on traditional sportsbooks — have exploded in popularity.

— Ananya Chetia,Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of exploded

Cite this Entry

Style

“Broke out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20out. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of broke out

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

discreet

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes