outbreak

American  

[out-breyk] / ˈaʊtˌbreɪk /

noun

• outbreaks
  plural

1. a sudden breaking out or occurrence, especially of something bad or unpleasant; eruption.

   the outbreak of war.

2. a sudden and active manifestation.

   an outbreak of hives.

3. a sudden increase in the incidence of a disease or medical condition in a particular place or population: a worldwide polio outbreak in the early 1900s.

   a serious outbreak of malaria in northern Uganda;

   a worldwide polio outbreak in the early 1900s.

4. an outburst.

   an outbreak of temper.

5. an insurrection, revolt, or mutiny.

6. a public disturbance; riot.

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outbreak British  

/ ˈaʊtˌbreɪk /

noun

1. a sudden, violent, or spontaneous occurrence, esp of disease or strife

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• outbreaks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of outbreak

First recorded in 1595–1605; out- + break

Explanation

A sudden or abrupt onset of something really bad is an outbreak. You could experience an outbreak of measles or an outbreak of violence; either way, try to protect yourself. When you talk about an outbreak of something, it's almost always something terrible, or at least unwanted. You might hear about an outbreak of war in a distant country, or an outbreak of violence in a big city, or an outbreak of disease among farm animals. Outbreak started as a Middle English verb around 1300, becoming a noun meaning "eruption" about three hundred years later.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

outbreak outbreaks

The outbreak is the 17th to have emerged in DR Congo since Ebola was discovered 50 years ago.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

A total of 2,325 people have been killed by the virus since it was declared on 15 May, surpassing the death toll of the country's 2018-2020 outbreak.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

When everyone is writing about an outbreak of a disease, no matter how isolated, it can feel more pervasive and widespread than it actually is.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

And this week brought another recall: The company pulled prepared foods, including salsa and guacamole sold under brands such as Trader Joe’s and Walmart’s Freshness Guaranteed, after receiving jalapeños connected to a multistate Salmonella outbreak.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

It was agreed that the C.D.C. would manage the human-health aspects of the outbreak and would direct the care of any human patients.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

In 2013, the vaccination rate among California kindergartners hit a low of 92.3%, below the 95% threshold doctors say is needed to keep a lid on outbreaks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

"These incidents have disrupted surveillance, case investigation, contact tracing, treatment and community engagements showing how attacks can undermine not only health services, but also the capacity to detect and contain outbreaks," said Musani.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

When the Covid-19 pandemic grounded the cruise industry, high-profile outbreaks and a more than yearlong U.S. hiatus left ships empty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Across some parts of western Scotland and in towards the north and west of Northern Ireland, we see cloud bring some outbreaks of rain.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The Agriculture Department itself has credited these importations with appreciably reducing the frequency and destructiveness of gypsy moth outbreaks.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• crash
• disruption
• epidemic
• eruption
• explosion
• flare-up
• onset
• plague
• storm
• surge
• uprising