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 Last month, oil prices briefly fell to their lowest level since before the late February outbreak of the Iran war on news that a preliminary agreement to end the war had been reached. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 22 July 2026 The findings come as health officials are also investigating the outbreak. — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 22 July 2026 Cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness that causes diarrhea, weight loss, bloating and cramping, has spread across the country following the beginning of the outbreak in May. — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026 Bill Marler, an attorney who focuses on food-safety cases—and who represents several people suing over the ongoing Cyclospora outbreak—stopped buying prepared salads years ago. — Angela Haupt, Time, 22 July 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
  • On July 20, 2026 The opening match of WWE Raw started out hot with a flurry of offense from Je’Von Evans and Dragon Lee.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • The singer divides her time between managing the sandwich shop and flying to perform at a flurry of concerts around the country.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of flurry
Noun
  • His position is no different from that of his counterparts in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, other South Asian nations which also faced Gen Z revolts that saw the exit of the existing order.
    — Vasuki Shastry, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • The decision led to a revolt by New Hampshire, which has a state law requiring it to hold the first primary, and penalties that kept Biden off the ballot in the state's primary.
    — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Definition of revolt
Noun
  • But Korea is not experiencing large capital inflows or persistent currency appreciation seen in Japan a few years before the bubble burst, giving the Bank of Korea greater flexibility to calibrate policy.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 24 July 2026
  • Over the 2000s, the dot-com bubble burst, a housing bubble burst, and the Great Recession followed.
    — Zachary Christensen, Oc Register, 24 July 2026
Definition of burst
Noun
  • Writer, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit is the author of more than twenty-five books on feminism, western and urban history, popular power, social change and insurrection, wandering and walking, hope and catastrophe.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
  • The 14th Amendment’s foundational principles include birthright citizenship, due process, equal protection under the law, and the prohibition for heads of state to engage in acts of insurrection.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 July 2026
Definition of insurrection
Noun
  • Moreover, these outbursts regularly occur whenever Black people are cast in popular feature films and series.
    — Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
  • The family routinely visits the site, a tradition that’s often the cause of emotional outbursts.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 24 July 2026
Definition of outburst
Noun
  • Read in the context of the uprising that produced it, however, the decision illustrates how resource extraction, racialized labor and the expansion of federal power had become intertwined.
    — Edward D. Melillo, Fortune, 27 July 2026
  • In Kenya, veterans of the Mau Mau uprising won a settlement in which the British government would distribute £20 million in reparations to five thousand of their survivors.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
Definition of uprising
Noun
  • 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
  • In the Black Jacobins, CLR James describes the slaves of a plantation sewing mutiny through poison.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of mutiny
Noun
  • In reality, the big debate has been about questions such as whether military bases should be named for traitors and whether governments should host monuments to a rebellion to defend slavery.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
  • Songwriting happened naturally as a rebellion to learning certain chords.
    — Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 20 July 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 29 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of outbreak for Spanish Speakers

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