Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

break out

British  

verb

  1. (intr, adverb) to begin or arise suddenly

    panic broke out

  2. (intr, adverb) to make an escape, esp from prison or confinement

  3. (of the skin) to erupt (in a rash, pimples, etc)

  4. (tr, adverb) to launch or introduce (a new product)

  5. (tr, adverb) to open and start using

    break out the champagne
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an escape, esp from prison or confinement

    1. a great success, esp following relatively disappointing performance

    2. ( as modifier )

      a breakout year
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
break out Idioms  

  1. Develop suddenly and forcefully. For example, A fire broke out last night , or He broke out in a sweat . [ a.d. 1000]

  2. 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]

  3. 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]

  4. 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]

  5. 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.

Until the futures can break out above $103, the current trading behavior appears to technically remain in a consolidation phase, and a pullback to the lower end of the recent range looks likely.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

Bitcoin on Tuesday tested a key level that has blocked gains for months, as technical analysts watched for signs that the cryptocurrency may finally be ready to break out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Another one of his tattoos is from another television series, Prison Break - and he is still waiting to feel the freedom to perform and for his talent to truly break out.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Even the longest winning streak in two and a half years hasn’t enabled shares to break out of that narrow range.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

I see now what the stakes are for her and how she wants nothing more than to break out of the delicate little box her parents have built for her.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

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.