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
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Recent Examples of outbreaks
This has been clearly linked to outbreaks in nursing homes and hospitals.
—
Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2026
Severe weather—from a derecho that hit the Northeast in April to a string of tornado outbreaks in the spring and summer—made up 91% of the billion-dollar disasters.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Severe weather events, including severe thunderstorms and tornado outbreaks, accounted for 91% of all billion-dollar disasters last year, the analysis showed.
—Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 8 Jan. 2026
As measles outbreaks flared up across the US last year, causing a record number of cases, Scott Thorpe kept a wary eye on Spartanburg County, South Carolina.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
In 2026, Oropouche outbreaks will likely continue to affect travelers in the Americas.
—Patrick Jackson, The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
In 2016 the entire region of the Americas declared the disease eliminated, but outbreaks in Venezuela in 2017 and in Brazil in 2018 reversed that declaration.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2025
Aid organizations and the United Nations warned that the disaster could worsen hunger and trigger disease outbreaks in a country already gripped by civil war and among the most difficult places in the world for humanitarian efforts.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
Studies of past measles outbreaks in Amish communities indicate this wave of new cases could last many months or a year.
—Alix Martichoux, The Hill, 30 Mar. 2025
Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2026
Severe weather—from a derecho that hit the Northeast in April to a string of tornado outbreaks in the spring and summer—made up 91% of the billion-dollar disasters.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Severe weather events, including severe thunderstorms and tornado outbreaks, accounted for 91% of all billion-dollar disasters last year, the analysis showed.
—Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 8 Jan. 2026
As measles outbreaks flared up across the US last year, causing a record number of cases, Scott Thorpe kept a wary eye on Spartanburg County, South Carolina.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
In 2026, Oropouche outbreaks will likely continue to affect travelers in the Americas.
—Patrick Jackson, The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
In 2016 the entire region of the Americas declared the disease eliminated, but outbreaks in Venezuela in 2017 and in Brazil in 2018 reversed that declaration.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2025
Aid organizations and the United Nations warned that the disaster could worsen hunger and trigger disease outbreaks in a country already gripped by civil war and among the most difficult places in the world for humanitarian efforts.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
Studies of past measles outbreaks in Amish communities indicate this wave of new cases could last many months or a year.
—Alix Martichoux, The Hill, 30 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbreaks
Noun
-
Snow flurries were a hopeful sign in the early-morning hours on Wednesday, covering the road and giving a light, white blanket to the slopes.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
8 Jan. 2026
-
In a tunnel of thick black smoke, flurries of glowing red embers raced across the road, out to sea.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Wars and insurrections have afflicted other parts of the Middle East, but Baghdad—a city whose name was once synonymous with suicide bombings and sectarian murder—has been spared.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
-
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
-
After testing the interest of sports fans in short-form content, Disney aims to bring brief bursts to a broader audience.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Operating for thousands of daily cycles over decades trumps quick bursts of power.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The result was that, where earlier fiscal crises had been met by waves of municipal-level revolts against mainstream economic policies, New York witnessed no such revolts in the 1970s.—
Daniel Wortel-London,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
As 6-7 went viral, teachers complained that random outbursts by their students were interrupting their lessons.—
Rebekah Willett,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The war was officially declared over in July 2003 but violent outbursts continued.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The United States could be on its 49th president by then, and Venezuela would need to remake its government as a democracy and resist potential uprisings.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The techniques of repression have become so refined that, as in Iran thus far, popular uprisings have been suppressed by efficient riot control and selective arrests and murders.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Pervasive disregard for the orders to integrate facilities fueled violent race rebellions across the country in the summer of 1943.—
Time,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
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 12 Jan. 2026.
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