outburst
Americannoun
-
outbursts
plural
-
a sudden and violent release or outpouring.
an outburst of tears.
-
a sudden spell of activity, energy, etc.
-
a public disturbance; riot; outbreak.
-
a bursting forth; eruption.
noun
-
a sudden and violent expression of emotion
-
an explosion or eruption
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of outburst
Explanation
When you can't help an angry shout or a burst of emotion, that's an outburst. A toddler's outburst might take the form of a full-blown temper tantrum. An outburst of passion or emotion can be angry words, a broken glass, or a triumphant whoop. There are also figurative outbursts, like the outburst of political enthusiasm within a particular group of voters, or an outburst of energy in the midst of a modern dance performance. The Middle English verb that proceeded outburst was outbresten.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
By following Swift J1727.8−1613 through an entire outburst, astronomers were able to observe nearly the full cycle of feeding, transformation, and expulsion.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
I’m sure there’s a way to pooh-pooh Tuesday’s outburst by pointing out the expansion of the cup from 32 to 48 teams and arguing the competition is diluted and the stars are feasting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Laila Emamjoneh, 24, who sat beside her sister and brother-in-law, was startled at the outburst for New Zealand among a group of mostly Iranians.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
"There's nothing in there I'm ashamed of," Brockman hit back, claiming that the journal did not include details of an outburst from Musk in 2017.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
My outburst was the height of bad manners, and manners matter deeply to her.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
But where once these kinds of outbursts would have made waves, they now seem to ripple at best.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
At its brightest, it reached a luminosity of approximately 3 × 1049 erg s-1, making it one of the brightest instantaneous outbursts ever recorded in the Universe.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
She recounts that his emotional outbursts were so extreme that it was painful leaving him behind.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
Addictions, compulsive work habits, emotional outbursts, chronic anxiety and even physical illness may result when trauma remains unresolved.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
And the outbursts of an abject self-pity with which it alternated.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
