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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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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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 When an outbreak of an infectious disease begins to spread, policymakers face an unenviable challenge. John Drake, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025 The virus, which is spread by bodily fluids, is endemic in animal populations in Central and West Africa, and there are periodic outbreaks. Ben Smith, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2025 His comments reflected Tehran's ongoing anxiety about another outbreak of war despite a fragile ceasefire in place since late June. Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025 FoodNet surveillance was scaled back because funding hasn’t kept pace with the costs of running the program, according to NBC — not because outbreaks have declined. Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 8 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for outbreak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbreak
Noun
  • The glass-half-full crowd would view such a flurry of transactions as evidence that five teams wanted Ureña enough to sign him.
    Mike Digiovanna, Oc Register, 7 Sep. 2025
  • In part of a flurry of motions from both sides in the past week, Stines is asking for a judge to release him on bail.
    Andy Rose, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Then around the time the revolt begins, the intertitles disappear.
    Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Five days later, after a revolt, he was reinstated.
    Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The family’s ring doorbell camera captured a man in all black who appeared to stand in the middle of their street raising a gun and three bursts of gunfire from different locations.
    Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
  • French rocket builder and ArianeGroup subsidiary MaiaSpace announced the completion of a monthslong test campaign that subjected several subscale prototypes of its propellant tanks to high-pressure burst tests, European Spaceflight reports.
    Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • His judicial reach has extended deep into Brazil's political and digital spheres, with sweeping orders to block social media accounts linked to the January 2023 insurrection, sanctions against X (formerly Twitter), and criminal referrals for digital disinformation campaigns.
    Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Both Yoon and Kim have been arrested and are in jail, with Yoon already undergoing trial on charges that include insurrection following his ouster in April over a botched bid to impose martial law in December.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Although Hill later attributed his end-of-season outburst to frustration due to a fractured wrist that ailed him all season and the Dolphins’ lack of a playoff berth, his actions likely hurt many of his teammates.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
  • This student’s outbursts had been an ongoing issue for three years, and Elliot quickly realized that few teachers had received the necessary restraint training to handle this student.
    IndyStar, IndyStar, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This summer’s uprising against ICE’s cruelty was just the latest in a long tradition.
    John Lopez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Other notes reference the Gordon Riots — an uprising in 1780 spurred by anti-Catholic sentiment — and the Mohocks, a violent gang of upper-class young men who got drunk and attacked people.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Vance is fresh off a stay in the English countryside, where the staff of popular pub The Bull in Charlbury allegedly threatened a mutiny if they were forced to serve the staunch conservative.
    Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2025
  • So no red eyes, no space mutinies — just words, structured to be helpful.
    Chris Reed, Oc Register, 30 July 2025
Noun
  • As Pietro becomes more impatient with Gatti, hearing about Felice’s losing streak in his nightly phone calls home, Felice is prompted into his first, necessary act of rebellion against his father’s loving but stifling authority.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Although the political protests in Los Angeles included some violence, the judge reasoned that the violence did not rise to a rebellion and did not prevent a traditional police response.
    Luke William Hunt, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Outbreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outbreak. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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