eruption
Americannoun
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eruptions
plural
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an issuing forth suddenly and violently; outburst; outbreak.
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Geology. the ejection of molten rock, steam, etc., as from a volcano or geyser.
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something that is erupted or ejected, as molten rock, volcanic ash, or steam.
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Pathology.
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the breaking out of a rash or the like.
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a rash or exanthem.
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of eruption
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin ēruptiōn- (stem of ēruptiō ). See erupt, -ion
Explanation
An eruption is an explosion of steam and lava from a volcano. This word is also used for other explosions, such as "an eruption of emotions." If there's an eruption of a volcano, you don't want to be anywhere near it. When a volcano erupts, it spews a huge amount of lava, ash, and steam into the air. If you were angry at a friend but held your tongue for a long time, then suddenly started yelling in anger, that's an eruption too. The sudden spreading of a disease could be called an eruption. Eruptions are quick, huge, explosive, and dangerous: they're never good news.
Vocabulary lists containing eruption
Make a Break for It: Rupt
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Mexico - Introductory
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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 eruption of chaos in the stadium was certainly helped by the fact that the fan groups hated each other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The extended day has always been a sad fact of French school life and can hardly account for the present eruption.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The park service said earthquakes during the 2018 Kīlauea volcano eruption and summit collapse had damaged the cliffs near the arch.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Because of this structure, potassium-rich magma is generally among the first material expelled during an eruption.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
He had found on other volcanoes that the release of SO2 sometimes signaled that an eruption was nearing.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Rather than behaving unpredictably, these delayed eruptions may be governed by a common physical threshold.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
About a decade ago, Renne used argon-argon dating to establish precise ages for a meteor impact, major volcanic eruptions in India and the extinction of the dinosaurs.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
The ability to anticipate these eruptions may become particularly useful for major future observatories, including the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope project, which is expected to begin collecting scientific data in 2028.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
Even a single volcano can produce eruptions through very different processes.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
He doesn’t realize there are earthquakes and tsunamis and volcanic eruptions destroying my brain and my heart and my soul.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
