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outbreak

[ out-breyk ]

/ ˈaʊtˌbreɪk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR outbreak ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a sudden breaking out or occurrence; eruption: the outbreak of war.

a sudden and active manifestation: an outbreak of hives.

an outburst: an outbreak of temper.

an insurrection, revolt, or mutiny.

a public disturbance; riot.

Origin of outbreak

First recorded in 1595–1605; out- + break

Words nearby outbreak

outboard profile, outbond, outbound, outbox, outbrave, outbreak, outbreed, outbreeding, outbuilding, outburst, outcast

Example sentences from the Web for outbreak

But with the outbreak of hostilities in mid-2011, all festivities were thrust into the deep freeze.

In One Corner of Syria, Christmas Spirit Somehow Manages to Survive |Peter Schwartzstein |December 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It was a traditional burial—the kind that the government is now battling—that led to the first outbreak.

Jail Threats for Sierra Leone Ebola Victims’ Families |Abby Haglage |December 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
An outbreak in Madagascar, where the disease is endemic, already has involved more than 100 people and killed almost half.

Bubonic Plague Is Back (but It Never Really Left) |Kent Sepkowitz |November 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The current Madagascar outbreak is of particular concern for two reasons.

Bubonic Plague Is Back (but It Never Really Left) |Kent Sepkowitz |November 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

The government report states the “outbreak [of beetles] is waning.”

What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear |Doug Peacock |November 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Kentucky attempted to remain neutral at the outbreak of the war.

Kentucky's Famous Feuds and Tragedies |Chas. G Mutzenberg
He resigned his commission at the outbreak of the Civil War, and entered the Confederate service.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 |Various
And in fact, when Henry V himself had ascended the throne, an outbreak did occur, in which these causes co-operated.

A History of England Principally in the Seventeenth Century, Volume I (of 6) |Leopold von Ranke
This network of agreements existed until it was destroyed through the outbreak of the war.

Albert Ballin |Bernhard Huldermann
At the first outbreak, some petty street brawl, the native soldiers sounded the general alarm.

By-Ways of War |James Jeffrey Roche

British Dictionary definitions for outbreak

outbreak

/ (ˈaʊtˌbreɪk) /

noun

a sudden, violent, or spontaneous occurrence, esp of disease or strife