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
  • Andrew Garfield trades modern superheroes for medieval revolution in the trailer for The Uprising, Paul Greengrass’ historical drama inspired by England’s 1381 peasant revolt.
    — Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2026
  • See The Sight Of John Brown's Raid Near the rivers sits the original armory guard house, where in 1859, abolitionist John Brown led a legendary but ultimately unsuccessful slave revolt.
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 11 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
  • This uprising of students at the Athens Polytechnic University and their famous pirate-radio broadcasts are commonly understood to be the beginning of the end of the junta.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • Pride events are held today in San Diego to honor the Stonewall uprising of 1969, when police raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City and patrons fought back in a dayslong confrontation.
    — Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 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 26 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of outbreak for Spanish Speakers

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