outbreak

[ out-breyk ]
See synonyms for outbreak on Thesaurus.com
noun
  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.

  1. a sudden increase in the incidence of a disease or medical condition in a particular place or population: a serious outbreak of malaria in northern Uganda;a worldwide polio outbreak in the early 1900s.

  2. an outburst: an outbreak of temper.

  3. an insurrection, revolt, or mutiny.

  4. a public disturbance; riot.

Origin of outbreak

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; out- + break

Words Nearby outbreak

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use outbreak in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for outbreak

outbreak

/ (ˈaʊtˌbreɪk) /


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

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