1
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
2
as in insurrections
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 outbreaks
The nearest outbreaks are unfolding more than 1,500 miles away in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Ebola was first detected, and neighboring Uganda.
—
Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
By mating with sterile flies, the females don't produce more flies and outbreaks can eventually be halted.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
By mating with sterile flies, the females don’t produce more flies and outbreaks can eventually be halted.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
On Monday, the USDA announced two more infections, one in La Salle County not far from the earlier outbreaks, but the other hundreds of miles to the northwest in Andrews County.
—CBS News, 8 June 2026
Three people, including two children, died as a result of the outbreaks, marking the first pediatric death from measles in a decade.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 8 June 2026
And then on the health side of things, when there’s outbreaks and those outbreaks are occurring among the Amish, this is going to be increasingly more of a public health discussion among this population.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 6 June 2026
Large outbreaks are extremely rare; just 2% to 5% of all Andes cases are estimated to stem from person-to-person transmission.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 1 June 2026
Both vaccines target the Zaire strain, which has caused most of the large outbreaks to date, followed by the Sudan strain.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026
Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
By mating with sterile flies, the females don't produce more flies and outbreaks can eventually be halted.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
By mating with sterile flies, the females don’t produce more flies and outbreaks can eventually be halted.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
On Monday, the USDA announced two more infections, one in La Salle County not far from the earlier outbreaks, but the other hundreds of miles to the northwest in Andrews County.
—CBS News, 8 June 2026
Three people, including two children, died as a result of the outbreaks, marking the first pediatric death from measles in a decade.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 8 June 2026
And then on the health side of things, when there’s outbreaks and those outbreaks are occurring among the Amish, this is going to be increasingly more of a public health discussion among this population.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 6 June 2026
Large outbreaks are extremely rare; just 2% to 5% of all Andes cases are estimated to stem from person-to-person transmission.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 1 June 2026
Both vaccines target the Zaire strain, which has caused most of the large outbreaks to date, followed by the Sudan strain.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbreaks
Noun
-
The checkup came amid mounting scrutiny of the president's health, particularly given recent flurries of late-night social media posts, as well as his at-times tired demeanor during official meetings.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
-
Snow flurries began at that elevation on Wednesday.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
There were rebellions, insurrections and an Appian Way lined with crucifixions.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
But the regime, besieged by insurrections across the country, abandoned Manbij.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The device does not try to impress in short bursts.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
-
Most radio-producing objects release bursts that last for mere seconds or less, but long-period radio transients, about a dozen of which are known, produce radio waves in bursts lasting from minutes to over an hour.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Starmer also has angered supporters with attempts to cut welfare spending, some of which were reversed after Labour revolts.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
-
Then came revolts and revolutions in Ireland, the Swiss cantons, the Rhineland, the Netherlands, the Italian states, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
This would trigger explosive outbursts on the white dwarf, which would be seen across the galaxy as a nova eruption.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
3 June 2026
-
More Than Headlines Beckham’s talent was undeniable, but it was constantly put on the backburner as the constant talk around him was mostly about on-field outbursts and questionable comments.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Hadi became president in 2012 after the resignation of longtime leader Ali Abdullah Saleh during the Arab Spring uprisings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
-
Dipke also took pains to distance the movement from comparisons to violent Gen Z uprisings in Nepal and Bangladesh, saying the CJP would maintain peaceful dissent within the bounds of the Constitution of India.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
Rhaenyra is suddenly dealing with internal criticism, possible rebellions, subjects spray-painting nasty stuff on the walls and self-doubt.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
Yet for critics of this militarized approach, the army has done less to tame rebellions than to terrorize the island’s peasant communities.—
Patrick Peralta,
The Conversation,
28 May 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Outbreaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outbreaks. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
