outbreak

American  

[aut-brayk] / 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

With the outbreak of the Russian Revolution and the U.S. entry into the war in 1917, calls for national self-determination multiplied and intensified across the Central European theater.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Everton's unbeaten start to the Premier League season and progress in the Carabao Cup has prompted a minor outbreak of something rarely felt among their fanbase in recent times - optimism.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Los Angeles County health officials are warning residents about a flea-borne typhus outbreak in the Mid-Wilshire area.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

But now, local health officials said, many affected by the Pennsylvania outbreak are seeing their neighbours fall seriously ill and asking thoughtful questions.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

From the dining-room there came the sound of the dinner bell and a sudden glad outbreak of talking.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

This will bring outbreaks of rain which will generally be heaviest in northern and western parts of the UK and lighter further east.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

The Philippines has struggled to restore routine childhood immunisation rates after years of plummeting coverage, which contributed to a polio resurgence in 2019 and recurring measles outbreaks.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

In Wales, the Midlands and Northern England it may be more of a struggle to see the meteor shower, with a slow-moving weather front providing cloud and outbreaks of rain.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Similar outbreaks also have occurred in Santa Monica and the unincorporated neighborhoods of Willowbrook near Compton, health officials said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

In order to forestall outbreaks of retaliatory violence, we arranged a week-long series of mass rallies and demonstrations throughout the country.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

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