outburst
Americannoun
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outbursts
plural
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a sudden and violent release or outpouring.
an outburst of tears.
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a sudden spell of activity, energy, etc.
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a public disturbance; riot; outbreak.
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a bursting forth; eruption.
noun
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a sudden and violent expression of emotion
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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:
Because the outburst was observed in such detail, astronomers were able to watch the feeding process evolve in real time.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
Taken aback by Gavriel’s fiery outburst, Yair asks in disbelief, “why can’t we live side by side in peace?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 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
He did, however, temporarily tarnish his standing with his infamous "thrown under the bus" outburst at Elland Road after he was left on the bench at Leeds United in December.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
Members of the theater troupe stopped in their tracks at this outburst, and glanced from Klaus to Count Olaf to see what would happen next.
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
Her husky voice is familiar to pilots in Greek skies -- as are her outbursts.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
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
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
Worried about alienating the boy, Franz said little during such outbursts and let him rant.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
