eruption

American  

[ih-ruhp-shuhn] / ɪˈrʌp ʃən /

noun

• eruptions
  plural

1. an issuing forth suddenly and violently; outburst; outbreak.

2. Geology. the ejection of molten rock, steam, etc., as from a volcano or geyser.

3. something that is erupted or ejected, as molten rock, volcanic ash, or steam.

4. Pathology.

   1. the breaking out of a rash or the like.

   2. a rash or exanthem.

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eruption Scientific  

/ ĭ-rŭp′shən /

1. The release of gas, ash, molten materials, or hot water into the atmosphere or onto the Earth's surface from a volcano or other opening in the Earth's surface.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noneruption
  noun
• preeruption
  noun
• reeruption
  noun
• eruptional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• eruptions
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eruption eruptions

Some 550 firefighters are in the battle against the flames near the eruption of another fire in July that covered 37 square kilometres of land.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

The eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala has triggered the evacuation of at least two villages on its slopes.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Guatemalan authorities issued the country's second-highest emergency alert level on Monday after a major eruption of Central America's most active volcano, prompting the evacuation of nearby villages.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

It then rises more slowly, giving volcanic gases additional time to escape and making a gentler, effusive eruption more likely.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

The devastation wrought by the eruption on May 18, 1980, was not the final word for life in the area.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Ash from the eruptions has been clouding the skies over eastern Sicily and has disrupted hundreds of flights at Catania International Airport in the past week.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Also called a cumulonimbus flammagenitus, they can occur during volcanic eruptions or, as in this case, when a wildfire roasts the air near the ground, causing it to rise quickly.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Long-simmering frustration over the state's lack of accountability created the conditions for this "implosion", he told the BBC, adding that the architecture of social media makes such eruptions likely to recur.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

The end-Triassic mass extinction struck about 201 million years ago and has been tied to enormous volcanic eruptions associated with the break-up of Pangea.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

One of Crandell’s colleagues had studied the area; the only signs of eruptions over the past thousand years at Coldwater II were marks of hot ash.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Related Words

• blast
• breakout
• burst
• explosion
• flare-up
• outbreak
• outburst