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

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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

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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 Mabuyane recently appointed a team to investigate whether an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness was linked to poor water quality in parts of the province. — ABC News, 1 Nov. 2026 The virus has now spread further across Africa than any previous Ebola outbreak, with cases in the continent’s central, eastern, and western regions. — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026 In 1998, during an intense El Niño event, NPR's member station, WUSF, reported that Central Florida experienced one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks, killing 42 people. — Ava Berger, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026 The outbreak — which is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, a relatively rare strain for which there is currently no vaccine — has also spread to Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and France. — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 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
  • Light flurries to 2 inches possible down to 5000 feet with higher accumulations remaining above 6000 feet.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Especially since the big frame of the show’s director, Robert Falls, had just exited the theater, a flurry visible in the corner of my eye.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of flurry
Noun
  • By Thursday morning, a rebellion by several members of Peña's own conservative Colorado Party had become a party-wide revolt.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The Texas revolt will, in the long run, likely have an impact on national politics as profound as California’s transformation away from Pete Wilson–era GOP dominance in the 1990s.
    — Sasha Abramsky, Washington Post, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of revolt
Noun
  • The chemical and environmental engineers found a way to transform tough composite waste into high-value manufacturing materials using a brief burst of extreme heat.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Still a low-churn environment The burst of optimism, however, comes with some caveats.
    — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of burst
Noun
  • Trump spent the day at the White House watching coverage, watching Fox News, trying to give himself an insurrection.
    — Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Nov. 2026
  • By then, graffiti had been scrubbed from the central monument that pays tribute to the French Republic, including its tradition of insurrection.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of insurrection
Noun
  • The outburst was in reaction to a video Trump reshared on social media in which former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama were depicted as apes.
    — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Doncic’s 53-point outburst eclipsed Wembanyama’s 52 points the star center scored Wednesday for the highest single-game scoring performance this season.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of outburst
Noun
  • On March 5, following an uprising against the administration’s mass-deportation effort that culminated in two protesters being killed by ICE agents in Minnesota, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was axed.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 6 Nov. 2026
  • One—a 1962 uprising in Brunei—had mistakenly been left out of the previous dataset.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of uprising
Noun
  • That proved too costly for producers, so the decision was made to change the location to a castle, while keeping the idea of a mutiny and rival factions working against each other.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 30 Oct. 2026
  • In August, Russia’s Africa Corps military contractor helped Niger’s junta quickly defeat a mutiny by a group of young troops in the country’s capital.
    — Vladimir Isachenkov, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of mutiny
Noun
  • The pope will celebrate Mass in Cusco’s main square, where in 1781 the Indigenous hero Túpac Amaru II was killed following the most significant rebellion against the Spanish during the colonial era.
    — Luis Andres Henao, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The pope will celebrate Mass in Cuzco’s main square, where in 1781 the Indigenous hero Túpac Amaru II was killed after the most significant rebellion against the Spanish during the colonial era.
    — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of rebellion

Browse Nearby Words

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 13 Nov. 2026.

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