breakout

American  

[breyk-out] / ˈbreɪkˌaʊt /

noun

1. an escape, often with the use of force, as from a prison or mental institution.

2. an appearance or manifestation, as of a disease, that is sudden and often widespread; outbreak.

3. an itemization; breakdown.

   a hotel bill with a breakout of each service offered.

4. an instance of surpassing any previous achievement.

   a breakout in gold prices.

5. the act or process of removing and disassembling equipment that has been used in drilling a well.

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adjective

1. of or constituting a sudden increase, advance, or unexpected success.

   The director has finally scored with a breakout movie.

Etymology

Origin of breakout

First recorded in 1810–20; noun use of verb phrase break out

Example Sentences

That would give the ETF price a chance to catch up to the 50-week simple moving average and retest the 21-month cup base breakout.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The first is a mid-credits scene that involves a breakout character from “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” and the second, shown after the credits end, introduces another Nintendo royal.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

When his son Bowser Jr., voiced by filmmaker and actor Benny Safdie, stages a breakout, it sparks an intergalactic chase.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Brent and WTI crude futuers were lower, and prices were likely to follow a short-lived but sharp spike pattern rather than a sustained breakout, according to Julius Baer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Less than two years later, Fudge had erupted out of the fire yet again, this time with the news that there had been a mass breakout from Azkaban.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling