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
In the long, hot summer of 1967, uprisings broke out across more than 150 cities after years of police abuse, segregation, and neglect.
—
Josiah Bates, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
Arnold's post suggested that Kansas City wasn't ready to take on Detroit, but the Lions ultimately fell 30-17 to the Chiefs on Sunday before a massive brawl broke out between the two teams.
—Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
Mesrine famously also broke out from La Santé’s walls.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Exactly 50 years earlier, in October of 1973, the Yom Kippur War broke out when Syria and Egypt launched a surprise attack on Israel.
—Noa Tishby, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Midway through recording, a debate broke out as the team tried to sort out the proper tone for one of Russell’s lines.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Sanchez allegedly climbed into the truck and kept the driver from calling for help before a fight broke out, according to court records.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
Authorities said chaos broke out as bullets struck people on the deck as patrons scrambled to safety.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025
In addition to arresting musicians, Russian authorities have designated many of them as foreign agents, including Noize MC, who left Russia soon after the war broke out.
—Anna Nemtsova, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025
Josiah Bates, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
Arnold's post suggested that Kansas City wasn't ready to take on Detroit, but the Lions ultimately fell 30-17 to the Chiefs on Sunday before a massive brawl broke out between the two teams.
—Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
Mesrine famously also broke out from La Santé’s walls.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Exactly 50 years earlier, in October of 1973, the Yom Kippur War broke out when Syria and Egypt launched a surprise attack on Israel.
—Noa Tishby, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Midway through recording, a debate broke out as the team tried to sort out the proper tone for one of Russell’s lines.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Sanchez allegedly climbed into the truck and kept the driver from calling for help before a fight broke out, according to court records.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
Authorities said chaos broke out as bullets struck people on the deck as patrons scrambled to safety.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025
In addition to arresting musicians, Russian authorities have designated many of them as foreign agents, including Noize MC, who left Russia soon after the war broke out.
—Anna Nemtsova, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke out
Verb
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Most of the crowd, which numbered around 25,000, was rooting for Argentina and erupted when Lo Celso’s shot hit the back of the net.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
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Moments after the rescue, a small explosion erupted on camera.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Another prototype recently exploded during ground testing.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
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The post went viral, and Allan's inbox exploded with stories from women all across the country and the world.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broke out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20out. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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