break out
Britishverb
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(intr, adverb) to begin or arise suddenly
panic broke out
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(intr, adverb) to make an escape, esp from prison or confinement
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(of the skin) to erupt (in a rash, pimples, etc)
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(tr, adverb) to launch or introduce (a new product)
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(tr, adverb) to open and start using
break out the champagne
noun
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an escape, esp from prison or confinement
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a great success, esp following relatively disappointing performance
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( as modifier )
a breakout year
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Develop suddenly and forcefully. For example, A fire broke out last night , or He broke out in a sweat . [ a.d. 1000]
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Be affected with a skin eruption, such as a rash or boils, as in A teenager's face often breaks out in pimples . [c. 1300]
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Prepare something for consumption, action, or use, as in Let's break out the champagne , or It's such a fine day—let's break out the fishing rods . [Early 1800s]
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break out of . Force out by breaking; also, escape from confinement. For example, The hurricane broke the glass out of all the windows , or He broke out of prison but was soon apprehended . [Early 1600s]
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Isolate a portion of a body of data, as in Please break out the sales figures from the quarterly report . [Mid-1900s]
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.
"These models understood that OpenAI did not want them to break out of their sandbox and hack another company," he continued, "but they did it anyway."
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Isolated protests across the island break out every day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
That's not to say they can't break out the dance moves.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Her dream of being an entrepreneur wasn’t possible during her marriage, so it was important to her to break out on her own when she could, Romero said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
By the way they sometimes break out with "Hey, there, chunky monkey," and "Did you make a stinky?"
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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.
