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.
Vocabulary lists containing outburst
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:
In 2016, Blair was removed from a plane on a stretcher after another outburst on a flight.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
A 70-point scoring outburst last week in which QB Gerald Torres threw five TD passes vs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
In 2023, a glacial lake outburst flood in Sikkim killed at least 70 people and caused widespread damage to roads, bridges and hydropower projects.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
The August flood was of a type that’s even more rare than glacial lake outburst floods, or GLOFs, and unlikely to be examined in risk assessments for existing projects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Her outburst is so uncharacteristic, I can’t help but laugh.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
The discussion was punctuated by a pair of outbursts from the audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
As permafrost degrades, glacial lake outbursts and rock-ice avalanches are expected to increase, producing faster, debris-laden floods that are harder to forecast.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
But where once these kinds of outbursts would have made waves, they now seem to ripple at best.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
Aurore Berge, minister against discrimination, also denounced the "repeated racist outbursts".
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
He encouraged their differences in opinion, and inwardly rejoiced at her occasional outbursts of exasperation at his decadence.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
