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.
The company discovered in July that rogue AI agents had schemed in secret to break out of the virtual sandbox created to contain them, infiltrating the open internet and hacking a private company.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The city on the shores of Lake Kivu is known for its wooden houses built on hillsides and deadly fires often break out there.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
This is the moment an AI bot posted an eerily human-like comment after discovering a way to communicate with other bots and break out of its isolated computer environment.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
But shares could finally be primed to break out in a major way.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
First one, then the other of the genie’s hands cut through the cloth, while its head pushed furiously against the top of the cloth, trying to break out.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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.
