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

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as in insurrections

open fighting against authority (as one's own government) the government quelled the outbreak with ruthless efficiency

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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 No products have been linked to the other outbreaks, including one that has sickened 115 people. — CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 The outbreaks connected to backyard poultry involve 814 people in 44 states. — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 There have been three localized measles outbreaks in California in 2026, according to the state agency. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 Public health officials are currently investigating several multistate outbreaks of salmonella linked to contact with backyard poultry, which so far have sickened more than 800 people and killed someone in Washington state. — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 The outbreak has eclipsed all previous Ebola outbreaks in its speed of transmission and is the second-largest outbreak on record, behind the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak that recorded more than 28,000 cases, including over 11,000 deaths. — ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026 While smallpox is no longer a daily concern, the latest DNA discoveries can help public health officials, biologists, and epidemiologists prepare for and fight future disease outbreaks. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 July 2026 Kennedy said outbreaks occur every summer, and federal authorities have been quick to track them. — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 30 July 2026 Cyclospora, which has caused outbreaks in at least nine states. — Ava Berger, NPR, 30 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbreaks

Noun

The past 14 years have included some flurries of diplomatic contact between Iran and the West.

— Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
There is even a remote possibility for a few flurries in the highest peaks of the Sierra on Saturday and Sunday nights with temps briefly below freezing.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2026

Definition of flurries

Noun

Solar storms are energy bursts from the sun that can contribute to strong auroral showings, several of which occurred in 2024, when the sun reached the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, marking a 500-year high in auroral activity.

— Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Both of these carry the signatures of creative openings, bursts of genius, and new ideas being generated.

— Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026

Definition of bursts

Noun

The McKinney City Council voted late Wednesday night to approve a site plan for a new mosque after a marathon meeting marked by outbursts and hours of public comment.

— Trevor Sochocki, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
His wife, Liz (Evan Rachel Wood), is a sneak preview of Debbie’s future, self-medicating with drugs, alcohol, and wrathful outbursts.

— Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of outbursts

Noun

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
The representatives to the convention, which also included prominent figures such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, considered the federal government’s ability to deal with uprisings and fiscal policy to be particularly important.

— Donovan Fifield, The Conversation, 16 July 2026

Definition of uprisings

Noun

That history includes colonial-era rebellions, using drones to monitor land invasions for legal ecological complaints, and protests against new or proposed laws.

— Chenier Carpio Opua, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2026
Many employers double down on rigid return-to-office rules, surveillance and gimmicks, even as workers fight back with coffee badging, ghost bookings and other quiet rebellions.

— Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 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 9 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of outbreaks

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