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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uprisings
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
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Recent Examples of outbreaks
Measles outbreaks continue to cause dozens of cases each week in the US, and the CDC has maintained weekly data reporting accordingly.
—
Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
The health agency has logged 20 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships that met its threshold for public notification this year, 15 of which were caused by norovirus.
—Nathan Diller, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
The country is already in the midst of its worst measles year in three decades, with more than 1,500 cases and current outbreaks in South Carolina and Minnesota.
—Arthur Allen, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2025
There were also 36 deaths and 62 outbreaks.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 21 Oct. 2025
The price of beef, alongside other everyday essentials, has soared this year largely because screwworm outbreaks have weakened already diminished cattle herds.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Ignoring simple science leaves us asking when will the next major waterborne disease outbreaks occur like in Gideon, Missouri, and Alamosa, Colorado?
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025
The transmission detected in a Nassau County resident comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned Americans to be on high alert for the virus following outbreaks in Cuba and China this year.
—Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Epidemiologists study flu activity in the Southern Hemisphere, which has opposite seasons than the United States, to predict what could lie ahead with seasonal virus outbreaks in the United States, Blocher-Smith said.
—Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 15 Oct. 2025
Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
The health agency has logged 20 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships that met its threshold for public notification this year, 15 of which were caused by norovirus.
—Nathan Diller, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
The country is already in the midst of its worst measles year in three decades, with more than 1,500 cases and current outbreaks in South Carolina and Minnesota.
—Arthur Allen, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2025
There were also 36 deaths and 62 outbreaks.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 21 Oct. 2025
The price of beef, alongside other everyday essentials, has soared this year largely because screwworm outbreaks have weakened already diminished cattle herds.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Ignoring simple science leaves us asking when will the next major waterborne disease outbreaks occur like in Gideon, Missouri, and Alamosa, Colorado?
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025
The transmission detected in a Nassau County resident comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned Americans to be on high alert for the virus following outbreaks in Cuba and China this year.
—Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Epidemiologists study flu activity in the Southern Hemisphere, which has opposite seasons than the United States, to predict what could lie ahead with seasonal virus outbreaks in the United States, Blocher-Smith said.
—Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbreaks
Noun
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As rain pattered against windows, and trees lining the streets swayed, flurries of urgent texts began ricocheting from one end of the neighborhood to the other, and panic set in as some residents put on their shoes and hurried out the door.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Mild with occasional snow flurries, but calm most of the week.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The East African country has been mired in civil strife ever since the central government collapsed in 1991 following a series of uprisings against the then-military dictatorship.—
Omar S Mahmood,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
-
While at the Lumiere Festival in Lyon where he’s being honored with a career tribute, Michael Mann reflected on his time in Paris documenting the student uprisings of 1968 for NBC.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Even the vets warned that such bursts of energy sometimes signal a final surge before decline, but Luna proved them wrong.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
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Beyond this, annual flowers such as petunias, marigolds, and zinnias can be used to add bursts of color throughout your beds and borders.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Onondagas support plans announced by the mayor of Syracuse in 2020 to remove the statue of Columbus, an Italian explorer who helped the Spanish establish a colonial foothold in the Caribbean and later suppressed revolts by Indigenous people.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Peasant revolts have been a thing right alongside revolutionary history the entire time.—
Nikki McCann Ramirez,
Rolling Stone,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Davidson’s condition, which leads him to make foul-mouthed outbursts, was barely understood at the time and was the source of misunderstandings, bullying, and harassment.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Giudice’s mother famously flipped a table at a restaurant in season one of and was known for her outbursts.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The president can also legally invoke the military under the Insurrection Act, which allows troops to be deployed in order to curb insurrections.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The display is typically only removed in cases of high treason or rebellions against the Crown, according to The Sun.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
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McArthur replied that, yes, the administration agreed with that point of view, prompting Bennett to ask him whether George Washington could have retained control over local militias years after founding-era rebellions had ended.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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 29 Oct. 2025.
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