outbreak

American  

[out-breyk] / ˈaʊtˌbreɪk /

noun

outbreaks plural

1. a sudden breaking out or occurrence, especially of something bad or unpleasant; eruption.

   the outbreak of war.

2. a sudden and active manifestation.

   an outbreak of hives.

3. a sudden increase in the incidence of a disease or medical condition in a particular place or population: a worldwide polio outbreak in the early 1900s.

   a serious outbreak of malaria in northern Uganda;

   a worldwide polio outbreak in the early 1900s.

4. an outburst.

   an outbreak of temper.

5. an insurrection, revolt, or mutiny.

6. a public disturbance; riot.

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outbreak British  

/ ˈaʊtˌbreɪk /

noun

1. a sudden, violent, or spontaneous occurrence, esp of disease or strife

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• outbreaks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of outbreak

First recorded in 1595–1605; out- + break

Explanation

A sudden or abrupt onset of something really bad is an outbreak. You could experience an outbreak of measles or an outbreak of violence; either way, try to protect yourself. When you talk about an outbreak of something, it's almost always something terrible, or at least unwanted. You might hear about an outbreak of war in a distant country, or an outbreak of violence in a big city, or an outbreak of disease among farm animals. Outbreak started as a Middle English verb around 1300, becoming a noun meaning "eruption" about three hundred years later.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

outbreak outbreaks

How worrying is the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo?

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

The epicenter of the outbreak is reportedly in Michigan, where more than 1,500 people have fallen sick as of Friday.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned about a growing parasitic outbreak that causes explosive diarrhea, which has delighted and disgusted the internet, because of course it has.

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

Without pinpointing the source of the outbreak and containing it, cases have the potential to keep rising.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

He argued that Fort Detrick was closer to the outbreak than was the C.D.C., in Atlanta, and therefore it was appropriate for the Army to have the samples and try to isolate the virus.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

It said there was a rise in scabies in the area it oversees - in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion - which was contributing to hospital outbreaks.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

It’s not yet clear what the source of these outbreaks are.

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

At this time, there aren’t any local outbreaks in California, and current cases of cyclosporiasis infection are not linked to the multi-state outbreak, according to the California Department of Public Health.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Egg prices climbed further in 2024 and 2025 while outbreaks continued, prompting panic buying and purchasing limits at supermarkets and egg surcharges at restaurants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

These outbreaks ended, for most of us, at the end of the second month.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

Related Words

• crash
• disruption
• epidemic
• eruption
• explosion
• flare-up
• onset
• plague
• storm
• surge
• uprising