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
Alex Bregman broke out of a 0-for-13 slump with three hits, and Javier Assad worked 5 2/3 shutout innings to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.
—
CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, De’Anthony Melton broke out of his slump and scored 20 points on an efficient 7 of 12 from the floor.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
An attic fire broke out Tuesday afternoon at Hollywood’s historic Magic Castle, according to the Los Angeles Times.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026
All six energy stocks mentioned in Roth Capital's note have risen between 15% and 35% since the Iran war broke out in late February.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
The first fight broke out in the 1300 block of Canal Street, where officers took a 17-year-old boy, a 15-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl into custody, the outlet reported.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Roberts cried out as the studio broke out into laughter.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
At one of these gatherings trouble broke out over girls, glue-sniffing, and hassles caused by confusion over membership in the various branches of the organization.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The Bank of England published its financial stability report today, its first since the US-Israeli war broke out.
—Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 1 Apr. 2026
CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, De’Anthony Melton broke out of his slump and scored 20 points on an efficient 7 of 12 from the floor.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
An attic fire broke out Tuesday afternoon at Hollywood’s historic Magic Castle, according to the Los Angeles Times.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026
All six energy stocks mentioned in Roth Capital's note have risen between 15% and 35% since the Iran war broke out in late February.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
The first fight broke out in the 1300 block of Canal Street, where officers took a 17-year-old boy, a 15-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl into custody, the outlet reported.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Roberts cried out as the studio broke out into laughter.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
At one of these gatherings trouble broke out over girls, glue-sniffing, and hassles caused by confusion over membership in the various branches of the organization.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The Bank of England published its financial stability report today, its first since the US-Israeli war broke out.
—Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 1 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke out
Verb
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The Crown’s soaked supporters erupted.—
Colin Cerniglia,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Nu Stadium erupted and the game remained knotted 1-1 at halftime.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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An asteroid the size of a house exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk with the force of 440,000 tons of TNT, damaging buildings and injuring more than 1,600 people, according to NASA.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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Usually, the fire department starts the program in late April or May, but because of all the weather whiplash the area has seen over the past few months, vegetation has exploded and left many yards and properties with fire hazards.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broke out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke%20out. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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