noun
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a period of time spent doing something, such as drinking
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a period of illness
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a contest or fight, esp a boxing or wrestling match
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bout
1535–45; variant of obsolete bought bend, turn, derivative of bow bow 1; see bight
Explanation
A bout is a fight. If you want to be a boxer, start with some easy bouts before challenging the champ. A bout is a period of time in which something intense happens, like fighting, binging, or being sick, and comes from the word for bending, or going round in a circle. We usually use it these days for something you wouldn't want to go on for too long of a time. If the full moon makes you crazy, you might suffer a bout of madness.
Vocabulary lists containing bout
100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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Bud, Not Buddy
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The Diary of a Young Girl
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The bout, which Walton accepted at less than two weeks' notice after Cejudo's original opponent withdrew, has been sanctioned by the Florida State Commission and will count towards their professional records.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
But after a brief bout of strength, the currency pair broke on Sept. 3 below a trend line that tracked the rally off the April 2025 lows.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Fury, 37, stopped 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in seven rounds in Pattaya, Thailand, in a bout held in front of about 1,500 spectators and not broadcast on television.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Volkswagen on Friday slashed earnings forecasts for the year after recently gaining approval for a fresh bout of restructuring that could double the total number of job losses to 100,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
“I sure want to hear bout thet campin’ trip,” he said with a rough tenderness in his voice.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
The preliminary bouts begin at 2:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on UFC Fight Pass and Paramount+.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The dot plot was originally designed to give a heads-up to the public about the Fed’s intentions in order to avoid bouts of instability in the economy.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Prolonged sedentary behavior was defined as bouts lasting at least 30 minutes with at least 90% of that period spent sedentary.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
Underlying stress about the attacks and the winter ahead has lately prompted bouts of insomnia until 4 a.m., while sleep deprivation has made work more difficult for her this summer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
At the Olympics, there wasn’t a lot of time between bouts, and I needed every single minute to prepare for my next match.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
