OUTBREAKS Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

outbreaks

noun

plural of outbreak

as in flurries

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in insurrections

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 outbreaks Most of these cases will occur in Africa and Asia, but many countries in the Americas and Europe are reporting outbreaks affecting hundreds or thousands of people. — Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2026 Over the past decade, its forest carbon sink weakened by about 27 percent as harvesting, ageing stands, drought, heat, wildfire and insect outbreaks reduced forest resilience. — Kari Stoever, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026 Experts say consumers can stay safe from outbreaks by keeping up with food recalls, washing produce well, refrigerating produce properly, and monitoring symptoms linked to foodborne illnesses. — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 26 Aug. 2026 Measles cases have surged in Maryland, with state leaders confirming 14 new cases this week and outbreaks in three counties. — Mike Stunson, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, vaccination rates nationwide have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks of the disease. — Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026 The prevention of future pandemics relies on information from previous outbreaks, which is one reason why deciphering the origins of the COVID-19 began is important. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Aug. 2026 Now, amid kindergarten and seventh grade vaccination rates being under the 95% needed for herd immunity, doctors are encouraging people to get the MMR vaccine to prevent outbreaks. — Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 Food poisoning outbreaks tend to be defined by one type of germ. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbreaks

Noun

Our arrival in the Madawaska River country of eastern Ontario, near Combermere, was noteworthy only for the snow flurries and marrow-chilling gales that howled down from Hudson Bay to greet us.

— HARRY H. EDEL, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026
The past 14 years have included some flurries of diplomatic contact between Iran and the West.

— Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

Definition of flurries

Noun

Back at Camp Cranium, bursts of laughter, whoops of delight and distant chatter punctuated the humid summer air.

— Lydia McFarlane, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026
To achieve this, the locus coeruleus continuously alternates between tonic activity—governing baseline arousal and alertness—and brief phasic bursts that focus attention on critical events.

— Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of bursts

Noun

He was accused of two other antisemitic outbursts and was eventually convicted in France on hate-speech charges.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026
The 36-year-old Hubble is also dropping in orbit because of all the sun's recent outbursts and is expected to reenter the atmosphere in the 2030s if nothing is done.

— CBS News, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of outbursts

Noun

For a brief moment during the 2010–11 Arab uprisings, the drive for change seemed unstoppable, but otherwise the arrangement worked.

— MARC LYNCH, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Set against a backdrop of turbulent transition as the Middle Ages move into modernity, the film follows the three men on their long and arduous journey, across a Europe ravaged by wars and uprisings, to Versailles.

— Ed Meza, Variety, 28 July 2026

Definition of uprisings

Noun

The second book, Shift, consists of alternating flashback sequences, telling both the origin story of the silos and tales from past rebellions.

— Noel Murray, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
In several instances these rituals were utilized during slave rebellions; the New York slave rebellion of 1712 reportedly began with a pact sealed in blood and powder, a practice with African religious parallels.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of rebellions

Noun

That mobility occasionally allowed for communication and coordination during mutinies.

— Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
This includes leader assassination attempts by political opponents or lone wolves or mutinies by disgruntled soldiers who might even march on the presidential palace to demand higher pay, promotions or other policy concessions.

— John Joseph Chin, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2025

Definition of mutinies

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“Outbreaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outbreaks. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of outbreaks

noun

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