outbreak
Americannoun
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a sudden breaking out or occurrence, especially of something bad or unpleasant; eruption.
the outbreak of war.
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a sudden and active manifestation.
an outbreak of hives.
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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.
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an outburst.
an outbreak of temper.
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an insurrection, revolt, or mutiny.
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a public disturbance; riot.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of outbreak
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.
Vocabulary lists containing outbreak
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 6
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“Vaccine Controversy Shows Why We Need Markets, Not Mandates” by Ron Paul
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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.
"That scale is possible," said Jason Asher, director of CDC's Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, during a press briefing.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
The CDC’s risk assessment was carried out by its Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, which relied, in part, on new disease data from the outbreak in Texas.
From Salon • Mar. 29, 2025
In May, three people died from the organism in Karachi, Pakistan, according to Outbreak News Today.
From Washington Times • Jul. 5, 2023
That’s exactly what they got from Rico Nasty, the 25-year-old rapper who was headlining the latest stop of Monster Energy’s Outbreak Tour.
From Washington Post • Apr. 24, 2023
Report on the Outbreak of the Rebellion and the Policy of the Government with regard to its suppression.
From The Great War and How It Arose by Anonymous
Definitions 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.
