1
as in flurries
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity
there was an immediate outbreak of paper shuffling and a pretense of work when the supervisor passed through the room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in insurrections
open fighting against authority (as one's own government)
the government quelled the outbreak with ruthless efficiency
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of outbreaks
Knowing where to look As measles cases grow nationwide, other states with outbreaks have sent out timely status updates and regularly made leaders available for questions.
—
Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
Treating exposed people with antibiotics before symptoms show up can help quickly squash bacterial meningitis outbreaks.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 21 Mar. 2026
In 2025, there were 22 reported norovirus outbreaks aboard cruises, up from 18 across 2024.
—Joe Wilkins Published Mar 18, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
The country currently has 14 new outbreaks this year.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
There have been outbreaks of tuberculosis and measles at the site, and ICE officers have used the dangerously subpar conditions to pressure detainees to sign papers authorizing their deportation.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
Norovirus is the leading cause of diarrhea and vomiting outbreaks in the United States, according to the CDC.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 15 Mar. 2026
Norovirus outbreaks happen relatively often on cruise ships, especially those operated by major cruise lines.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
Right now, the site pulls in more than 100 different streams of data, including stock prices, prediction markets, satellite movements, weather alerts, major-airport flight data, fire outbreaks, and the operational status of cloud services such as Cloudflare and AWS.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
Treating exposed people with antibiotics before symptoms show up can help quickly squash bacterial meningitis outbreaks.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 21 Mar. 2026
In 2025, there were 22 reported norovirus outbreaks aboard cruises, up from 18 across 2024.
—Joe Wilkins Published Mar 18, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
The country currently has 14 new outbreaks this year.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
There have been outbreaks of tuberculosis and measles at the site, and ICE officers have used the dangerously subpar conditions to pressure detainees to sign papers authorizing their deportation.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
Norovirus is the leading cause of diarrhea and vomiting outbreaks in the United States, according to the CDC.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 15 Mar. 2026
Norovirus outbreaks happen relatively often on cruise ships, especially those operated by major cruise lines.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
Right now, the site pulls in more than 100 different streams of data, including stock prices, prediction markets, satellite movements, weather alerts, major-airport flight data, fire outbreaks, and the operational status of cloud services such as Cloudflare and AWS.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbreaks
Noun
-
Light snow flurries were falling.—
Jack Perry,
The Providence Journal,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Neither that, nor Monday’s snow flurries, stopped Jennifer Hall and her family from making their own Magic City hoodies and proudly wearing them to the game at State Farm Arena.—
DeAsia Paige,
AJC.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There were rebellions, insurrections and an Appian Way lined with crucifixions.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
But the regime, besieged by insurrections across the country, abandoned Manbij.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sperm whales communicate via bursts of clicks, called codas, and the researchers—part of a project called the Cetacean Translation Initiative, or CETI—are hoping one day to decipher what the codas mean.—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2026
-
And Falkous, for all that his bursts of mad atonality hit the ear first, knows precisely where to hammer in every syllable for the maximum impact.—
Alex Robert Ross,
Pitchfork,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Continue reading … THINK AGAIN — New 'microgeneration' of students revolts against 'cringy' campus wokeness.—
,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The royal government was also known as a dictatorship for banning political parties, suppressing revolts and political opposition, controlling the press and having its own secret police force called SAVAK.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Cronin has received his share – more than his share, actually – of negative fan reaction for his frequent outbursts at players.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Still, wanting to be a team player, Anthony is warm, friendly, and offers an encouraging word to the future CEO — despite Dougie’s obvious nerves and his random outbursts in Jamaican Patois.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These concerns intensified after the Arab Spring uprisings and escalated with the rise of militant organizations such as the Islamic State group.—
Candace Lukasik,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Cuba supported uprisings in Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, the Congo, and elsewhere.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There were rebellions, insurrections and an Appian Way lined with crucifixions.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The legislation excludes people accused of involvement in military rebellions or coups, as well as those charged with serious crimes such as human-rights violations, intentional homicide, drug trafficking and corruption.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That mobility occasionally allowed for communication and coordination during mutinies.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
-
This includes leader assassination attempts by political opponents or lone wolves or mutinies by disgruntled soldiers who might even march on the presidential palace to demand higher pay, promotions or other policy concessions.—
John Joseph Chin,
The Conversation,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outbreaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outbreaks. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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