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

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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 Since the beginning of last year, large outbreaks have been reported in several states, including Texas and Utah, as well as South Carolina, which had been the largest with 997 cases reported. — Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026 American officials continue to evaluate the potential outbreak and its broader biosecurity implications. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026 Measles cases in Pennsylvania have surpassed 1,000 so far this year as the state continues to battle its largest outbreak in decades. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026 Pennsylvania’s outbreak, which began in late April, shows no sign of slowing. — Erika Edwards, NBC news, 5 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
  • OpenAI is holding its annual DevDay developer conference on Tuesday, where the artificial intelligence company is expected to showcase a flurry of new products and features.
    — Ashley Capoot,Kate Rooney,Chris Eudaily, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Cliffs teeter at 1,640 feet, before tumbling down in a flurry of vineyards and walking trails to the rushing rivers and gorges of Sil and Miño.
    — Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of flurry
Noun
  • Moving pictures are part of the revolt Asco also had an interest in film.
    — Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • His teeth desert his mouth; his digestion revolts; his heart appears frequently to announce its forthcoming resignation.
    — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of revolt
Noun
  • The laser accelerated electrons through a gas, directing them into a solid target to create light bursts that generated muon pairs.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • In bursts of bright stanzas, Chen Chen transports us through the landscape of his childhood into his early twenties.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of burst
Noun
  • Amendment is also a constitution’s mechanism for the prevention of insurrection.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of insurrection
Noun
  • During the 1990s, mafia-style killings of public figures were a common occurrence in Bulgaria, but the latest outburst of violence has shocked the country, amid a heated campaign for presidential elections next month.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Behavioral therapies, which are standard in foster care settings, use punishments and rewards to get children to control outbursts, anger and other problematic behaviors.
    — Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of outburst
Noun
  • Gómez Vergara’s documentary revisits Chile’s social uprising through a health brigade treating protesters injured by police repression, connecting present violence with dictatorship-era wounds.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
  • From 1896 to 1897, the region experienced what would come to be known as the First Chimurenga, a period of uprisings by the Indigenous Ndebele and Shona people against colonial policies.
    — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of uprising
Noun
  • Its leader, Sergei Mironov, 73, once gained headlines by posing with a symbol of brutality — a sledgehammer given to him by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late Wagner mercenary leader shortly before his failed 2023 mutiny.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Step aboard the Grampus, a whaleship gone adrift after a storm, rations running out and a violent mutiny, and learn what happened to its ghost whalers.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of mutiny
Noun
  • To pair the piece with Celine’s more tailored pieces like the trousers and blouse added a tonal contrast that still executed on its luxury aesthetic, though with a touch of rebellion.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • These layered styles exuded rebellion and were made famous around the globe by figures like Joan Jett.
    — María Diez, Glamour, 26 Sep. 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 6 Oct. 2026.

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