erupt
Americanverb (used without object)
-
erupts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
erupted,
past participle, past
-
erupting
present participle
-
to burst forth.
Molten lava erupted from the top of the volcano.
- Synonyms:
- vent
-
(of a volcano, geyser, etc.) to eject matter.
-
to break out of a pent-up state, usually in a sudden and violent manner.
Words of anger erupted from her.
-
to break out in a skin rash.
Hives erupted all over his face and hands.
-
(of teeth) to grow through surrounding hard and soft tissues and become visible in the mouth.
verb (used with object)
-
erupts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
erupted,
past participle, past
-
erupting
present participle
-
to release violently; burst forth with.
She erupted angry words.
- Synonyms:
- vent
-
(of a volcano, geyser, etc.) to eject (matter).
verb
-
to eject (steam, water, and volcanic material such as lava and ash) violently or (of volcanic material, etc) to be so ejected
-
(intr) (of a skin blemish) to appear on the skin; break out
-
(intr) (of a tooth) to emerge through the gum and become visible during the normal process of tooth development
-
(intr) to burst forth suddenly and violently, as from restraint
to erupt in anger
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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eruptionnoun
-
preeruptverb (used without object)
-
reeruptverb (used without object)
-
eruptibleadjective
-
uneruptedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
eruptsimple
-
eruptssimple
-
have eruptedperfect
-
has eruptedperfect
-
am eruptingprogressive
-
are eruptingprogressive
-
is eruptingprogressive
-
have been eruptingperfect progressive
-
has been eruptingperfect progressive
Past
-
eruptedsimple
-
had eruptedperfect
-
was eruptingprogressive
-
were eruptingprogressive
-
had been eruptingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of erupt
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin ēruptus “burst forth, broken out” (past participle of ērumpere ), equivalent to ē- “out of, from” + ruptus, past participle of rumpere “to break, rupture”; see origin at e- 1, rupture
Explanation
A rash, a volcano, applause, violence, all of these are things that are prone to erupt, meaning they suddenly become active. The word erupt has origins in the Latin word eruptus, the past participle of erumpere, meaning to burst forth. This lively verb can be used to describe anything that is released in a quick, violent burst, such as a bomb exploding or lava spewing forth from a volcano or even laughter. It can also be used to describe the arrival of things that burst through more quietly (but often more painfully), such as a skin condition or a tooth that’s breaking through one's gum.
Vocabulary lists containing erupt
Make a Break for It: Rupt
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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:
Following his advice to blackmail a loose-cannon Prime Minister into resigning causes her reflux to erupt with a vengeance.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
Or, just say the words “superwash yarn,” and watch the whole room erupt into debate.
From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026
Photos showed dancing under disco balls, a white cake topped with figurines of a bride and groom and Donald Trump Jr. holding his new wife in his arms as fireworks erupt in the background.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
"Males are the only pigs whose upper tusks erupt through the snout bone and curve back towards their face."
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“Harry, you’ve got a maggot in your hair,” said Ginny cheerfully, leaning across the table to pick it out; Harry felt goose bumps erupt up his neck that had nothing to do with the maggot.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
He then erupts in flames twice his height, dark smoke billowing.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Applause erupts in the room where an Afghan flag hangs and a patriotic song is played.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
In “Young Men and Fire” he vividly narrates how a wildfire the crew initially expected to control suddenly erupts into a “blowup,” a wall of flame racing uphill faster than the young men can run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
In this traditional view, low-density magma gradually accumulates within the crust, increasing pressure until the surrounding rock fractures, collapses, and ultimately erupts.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026
At the word “congratulations” the room erupts, not into applause, but into the pounding of fists on tabletops.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
The volcano erupted with the Nazi annexation of Austria and the Kristallnacht pogrom later that year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
According to Stephanie, disagreements between medical teams over how best to manage Flora's symptoms erupted into a heated discussion at her daughter's bedside.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
In southern Kyushu, Jomon populations had already been shrinking long before the volcano erupted.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
The Palisades and Eaton fires erupted on Zoë Ryan’s second day as director of the Hammer Museum at UCLA.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Yet what made Mount Bezymianny remarkable was that instead of exploding up toward the sky, it had erupted out.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
The audience appears to hang on her every word, shout and moan, erupting in explosive applause as she utters the play’s last lines, arms extended ecstatically to the crowd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
It remained there for several weeks, gradually releasing gas before finally erupting.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
A Chinese state media documentary about Jiang Zemin's life shows him banging on tables one minute and erupting in laughter the next.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Plus, we look at new fronts erupting in the Iran war, and a daring mission to recover American POWs from the ocean floor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
He screamed, bubbles erupting out of his mouth.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
