breakout

American  

[breyk-out] / ˈbreɪkˌaʊt /

noun

breakouts plural

1. an escape, often with the use of force, as from a prison or mental institution.

2. an appearance or manifestation, as of a disease, that is sudden and often widespread; outbreak.

3. an itemization; breakdown.

   a hotel bill with a breakout of each service offered.

4. an instance of surpassing any previous achievement.

   a breakout in gold prices.

5. the act or process of removing and disassembling equipment that has been used in drilling a well.

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adjective

1. of or constituting a sudden increase, advance, or unexpected success.

   The director has finally scored with a breakout movie.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• breakouts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of breakout

First recorded in 1810–20; noun use of verb phrase break out

Example Sentences

There are 31 activist short-selling firms that published research so far in 2026, down from 55 in 2020, according to research firm Breakout Point.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

When MLB recently announced rosters for its Spring Breakout exhibitions showcasing top minor league prospects, 9.5% of the players were Black — including 31 alums of MLB’s diversity programs.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2024

Breakout country music star Lainey Wilson leads the CMA Awards nominations for a second straight year with nine nods, the second most ever in a single year.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2023

It worked equally well for classic arcade games Breakout and Asteroids.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2023

The speaker said, "Breakout in five seconds ... four ... three ... two ... one ..."

From The Hate Disease by Leinster, Murray