outbreak

noun

ˈau̇t-ˌbrāk How to pronounce outbreak (audio)
Definition of outbreaknext
1
as in flurry
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in revolt
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of outbreak The outbreak was jointly detected in both the DRC and neighboring Uganda. — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 No products have been linked to the other outbreaks, including one that has sickened 115 people. — CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 The Ebola outbreak reached 3,874 cases, including 1,751 deaths as of Monday, according to the latest data published overnight by Congo’s Ministry of Health. — ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for outbreak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbreak
  1. flurry
  2. revolt
  3. burst
  4. insurrection
  5. outburst
  6. uprising
  7. mutiny
  8. rebellion
Noun
  • After a bit of activity over the weekend, and a flurry of moves on trade deadline day, the Braves’ last 72 hours was quite pedestrian.
    — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Familiar names departed in a flurry of deals, leaving a clubhouse that suddenly looked much different.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of flurry
Noun
  • Donor revolts—growing widespread skepticism toward higher education.
    — Scott White, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Online, millennials are declaring open revolt against their aging boomer parents.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 31 July 2026
Definition of revolt
Noun
  • Protecting pilot vision A nuclear weapon produces an intense burst of thermal and visible light within fractions of a second after detonation.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Aug. 2026
  • With juicy bursts of fresh fruit, the result is deliciously smooth, custardy, and bright.
    — Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of burst
Noun
  • As Port falls in with a group of conspirators preparing for the insurrection, the book takes on a hallucinatory, digressive quality, blurring the lines between life and death, reality and illusion.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Stephen Colbert’s award-winning Late Show was canceled in a move that many have labeled political appeasement, and the flagship evening newscast baselessly recast the January 6 insurrection as a partisan squabble.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of insurrection
Noun
  • The McKinney City Council voted late Wednesday night to approve a site plan for a new mosque after a marathon meeting marked by outbursts and hours of public comment.
    — Trevor Sochocki, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • His wife, Liz (Evan Rachel Wood), is a sneak preview of Debbie’s future, self-medicating with drugs, alcohol, and wrathful outbursts.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of outburst
Noun
  • Bartholomew Port, an Irish writer living in London, returns to his homeland to participate in a literary festival, and arrives on the eve of a populist uprising.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Netanyahu still believes that regime change is necessary and hopes to achieve that goal by laying the groundwork for an uprising.
    — Margaret Brennan, CBS News, 30 July 2026
Definition of uprising
Noun
  • At the start of the summer, Infantino seemed untouchable but there is a mood of mutiny in the air.
    — Simon Hughes, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
  • For years, they have been stuck at sea with their leader, the great warrior king Odysseus (Matt Damon), trying to find a route home to Ithaca; hunger and desperation have spurred his fiery second-in-command, Eurylochus (Himesh Patel), toward mutiny.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
Definition of mutiny
Noun
  • The mythmaking rebellion of Tekena, first of her name, for the sake of a coward’s love was as recognizable to her descendants as their need to cross borders, both ethnic and geographic, in search of a happiness that wasn’t promised.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The rebellion has been absorbed by the very system it was built to replace.
    — Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebellion

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outbraving
outbreak
outbreaks
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Cite this Entry

“Outbreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outbreak. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of outbreak for Spanish Speakers

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