1
as in bursts
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
the judge directed the courtroom spectators to refrain from any outbursts when the verdict was read
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in flurries
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity
there was a remarkable outburst of work in the office as the visiting VIPs made their tour
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in eruptions
the act or an instance of exploding
in the outburst known as a supernova, the star may reach an intrinsic luminosity one billion times that of the sun
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 outbursts
These outbursts send radiation and charged particles hurling into space and can disrupt communications on Earth if the flare erupts from an Earth-facing sunspot.
—
Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 5 Nov. 2025
Musk, whose partisan outbursts reportedly cost Tesla one million sales, remains the world’s wealthiest person, and could become the first-ever trillionaire.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Vahid’s ensuing road trip leads to mayhem and outbursts as well as some quite funny moments.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025
Bolt later acknowledged that his outbursts were often just showmanship and a distraction from his focus on tournaments.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
That includes a pair of four-touchdown outbursts against the Jets and Bengals.
—Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
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
As Sonia, the scene-stealing Shana Wride dominates almost every scene, first with comic outbursts and later with heartbreaking vulnerability.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
Macmillan has a musician's kind of knack for sculpting outbursts, rants and other verbal arias.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 5 Nov. 2025
Musk, whose partisan outbursts reportedly cost Tesla one million sales, remains the world’s wealthiest person, and could become the first-ever trillionaire.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Vahid’s ensuing road trip leads to mayhem and outbursts as well as some quite funny moments.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025
Bolt later acknowledged that his outbursts were often just showmanship and a distraction from his focus on tournaments.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
That includes a pair of four-touchdown outbursts against the Jets and Bengals.
—Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
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
As Sonia, the scene-stealing Shana Wride dominates almost every scene, first with comic outbursts and later with heartbreaking vulnerability.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
Macmillan has a musician's kind of knack for sculpting outbursts, rants and other verbal arias.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbursts
Noun
-
Fortunately, Marty, posing as a federal agent here to arrest Lee for harassment, bursts through the One Well doors in the nick of time.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
-
These collisions unleash bursts of energy, allowing physicists to explore the most fundamental building blocks of the universe.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
As temperatures get below freezing, a few snow flurries are possible across most of the area, according to the weather service.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Mall of America—the country’s largest shopping destination—makes tackling your holiday list a breeze, while the Minneapolis Institute of Art delivers a dose of culture and calm between snow flurries.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Several eruptions of energy from the sun, known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, are expected to reach Earth’s magnetic field over the next two nights.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Hazards from eruptions at Kilauea include high levels of volcanic gas, ash, pumice, scoria and reticulite and Pele's hair -- strands of volcanic glass produced by lava fountaining that can be carried more than 10 miles from the vent, according to the USGS.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The children grow before the camera’s eye, taking their first steps and speaking their first words to the backdrop of explosions—moving from tent to tent, clinging to life, and longing for their mother’s embrace.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
10 Nov. 2025
-
For soldiers caught in explosions, survival often comes at a steep physical cost.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Even when a state’s overall vaccination rate looks healthy, there might be specific towns or school districts where rates are dangerously low – leaving those areas vulnerable to disease outbreaks.—
Anthony Bald,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
Head coach Kalen DeBoer said the offense has shown flashes but needs better timing to fully capitalize.—
Grant Afseth,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Goodwin, signed late in the season from Australia, showed flashes in his brief playoff action.—
Colin Cerniglia,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In fact the water it’s formed from sometimes spurts out of the ground at boiling point.—
Barry Neild,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
-
However, that study defined short spurts as structured, moderate-to-vigorous activity.—
Lindsey Leake,
NBC news,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Residents can look for wind gusts of up to 40 mph.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Nov. 2025
-
West northwest wind 9 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outbursts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outbursts. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share