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

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noun

1. an escape, esp from prison or confinement

2. 1. a great success, esp following relatively disappointing performance

   2. ( as modifier )

      a breakout year

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]

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Example Sentences

She first broke out in “SCTV,” or “Second City Television,” a Canadian sketch comedy series for which she earned an Emmy Award for writing in 1982, along with her “Schitt’s Creek” co-star Eugene Levy.

From Los Angeles Times

Tiny buds had broken out along some, and gold leaves, hard as the bark, were forming.

From Literature

Widespread protests broke out in the last week of December, initially triggered by anger against economic grievances and later expanding into calls for a regime change.

From BBC

Palisades’ boys had last taken their home floor for an official contest on Jan. 6, 2025 — one day before the Palisades fire broke out and dealt severe damage to their campus and community.

From Los Angeles Times

It is a bit disappointing that SPX hasn’t yet broken out to the upside.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• appear
• arise
• begin
• commence
• erupt
• explode
• occur
• set in
• start