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
Scuffles broke out between backroom staff, with one member from Real Madrid being shown a red card, while Benfica boss Jose Mourinho had a heated conversation with Vinicius Jr.
—
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Economic output by worker per hour broke out of its pandemic funk to new all-time highs last year, federal statistics show.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026
Small suburb thrust into the national spotlight And now, the trouble that broke out in Cabin John has been thrust into the national spotlight.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Another wildfire that broke out in Woodward, Oklahoma — a city of about 12,000 residents in northwestern part of the state — forced several thousand people to evacuate in the southwest quadrant of the city, emergency manager Matt Lehenbauer told CNN affiliate KOCO.
—Amanda Musa, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Windey broke out as a cast member on Season 26 of The Bachelor before going on to co-headline Season 19 of The Bachelorette.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
Robbins broke out as a motivational speaker sensation in the mid-90’s, parlaying his program into transformational programs, immersive experiences and executive education.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
Four players have been suspended by the NBA in connection with a brawl that broke out during the Detroit Pistons-Charlotte Hornets game Monday night, the league announced Wednesday.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Six people have been displaced after a large fire broke out inside their Aurora home on Monday night.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Economic output by worker per hour broke out of its pandemic funk to new all-time highs last year, federal statistics show.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026
Small suburb thrust into the national spotlight And now, the trouble that broke out in Cabin John has been thrust into the national spotlight.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Another wildfire that broke out in Woodward, Oklahoma — a city of about 12,000 residents in northwestern part of the state — forced several thousand people to evacuate in the southwest quadrant of the city, emergency manager Matt Lehenbauer told CNN affiliate KOCO.
—Amanda Musa, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Windey broke out as a cast member on Season 26 of The Bachelor before going on to co-headline Season 19 of The Bachelorette.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
Robbins broke out as a motivational speaker sensation in the mid-90’s, parlaying his program into transformational programs, immersive experiences and executive education.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
Four players have been suspended by the NBA in connection with a brawl that broke out during the Detroit Pistons-Charlotte Hornets game Monday night, the league announced Wednesday.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Six people have been displaced after a large fire broke out inside their Aurora home on Monday night.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke out
Verb
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Chaotic video shows the moment a midair brawl erupted between passengers on a Jet2 flight bound for the United Kingdom on Thursday, reportedly forcing the plane to make a diversion.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The next day, more mayhem erupted.—
Natasha Korecki,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Butler started WeSchool more recently, when interest in at-home learning exploded during the pandemic.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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The singer stood next to a set of faux power lines onstage, which quickly exploded to illustrate the island's frequent power outages.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broke out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20out. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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