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
Katie Holmes wore an even funkier take on the style last fall, and Naomi Watts broke out a pair during a date night of her own just last month.
—
Averi Baudler, People.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The game on August 31 ended with the Seattle Sounders beating Miami 3-0, but a scuffle broke out on the field shortly after full-time, with Suárez at the center of the action.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
The Dragon Bravo Fire broke out on July 4 as a result of a lightning strike, with officials quickly responding and establishing containment lines.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025
Many of the policies implemented in Senate Bill 300 included recommendations made by the task force on racial equity in criminal justice that Cooper created after riots broke out in Raleigh over Floyd’s death.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 8 Sep. 2025
Violence broke out Monday night after the West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn, New York.
—Robert Birsel
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Trump ordered the deployment in early June after protests broke out in Los Angeles over immigration raids.
—Nik Popli, Time, 2 Sep. 2025
But Mitchell, who broke out on small screens during her seven-season arc on hit teen soap Pretty Little Liars, needed help turning her rough napkins sketches into a business.
—Natalie Jarvey, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2025
Demonstrations broke out this week over an announcement that Indonesia’s reigning politicians will be provided monthly housing allowances of around 50 million rupiahs (around $3,000) — nearly 10 times higher than Jakarta’s minimum wage.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Averi Baudler, People.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The game on August 31 ended with the Seattle Sounders beating Miami 3-0, but a scuffle broke out on the field shortly after full-time, with Suárez at the center of the action.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
The Dragon Bravo Fire broke out on July 4 as a result of a lightning strike, with officials quickly responding and establishing containment lines.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025
Many of the policies implemented in Senate Bill 300 included recommendations made by the task force on racial equity in criminal justice that Cooper created after riots broke out in Raleigh over Floyd’s death.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 8 Sep. 2025
Violence broke out Monday night after the West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn, New York.
—Robert Birsel
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Trump ordered the deployment in early June after protests broke out in Los Angeles over immigration raids.
—Nik Popli, Time, 2 Sep. 2025
But Mitchell, who broke out on small screens during her seven-season arc on hit teen soap Pretty Little Liars, needed help turning her rough napkins sketches into a business.
—Natalie Jarvey, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2025
Demonstrations broke out this week over an announcement that Indonesia’s reigning politicians will be provided monthly housing allowances of around 50 million rupiahs (around $3,000) — nearly 10 times higher than Jakarta’s minimum wage.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke out
Verb
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Waiting until Nelson had finished a song, Selman whisked him and his band offstage and into a bus — just as intense rain and lightning erupted all around them.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
6 Sep. 2025
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Later, a geyser erupted, spawning eyeballs that float upward in bubbles.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The streets of Boise exploded in a burst of color and music on Sunday as the Boise Pride Parade swept down River Street.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Sep. 2025
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As large language models like OpenAI’s GPT-3 and GPT-4 exploded onto the scene, students and teaching assistants alike began questioning whether assessments ought to be handled differently.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broke out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20out. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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