outbreak — English Dictionary

Noun

1. An eruption; the sudden appearance of a rash, disease, etc.

   Examples

   Any epidemic outbreak causes understandable panic.

   More examples (1)

   In a December 5 post on X, CDC Acting Director Jim O’Neill said there was no epidemiological evidence linking the Texas outbreak and the ongoing cases in South Carolina. A U.S. Health and Human Services spokesman confirmed that the CDC has found no epidemiological evidence linking ongoing outbreaks to Texas, but said many recent U.S. cases share the same genotype and have no known source of infection, “which could indicate ongoing domestic transmission.”

2. A sudden increase.

   Examples

   There has been an outbreak of vandalism at the school.

   One such investigation described how kindness can be contagious. It was sparked by reports of an outbreak of kindness on a cold December morning in 2012.

3. An outburst or sudden eruption, especially of violence and mischief.

   Usage

   • Figurative

   Examples

   There has been an outbreak of broken windows in the street.

4. Synonym of breakout (“escape from prison”).

Verb

1. To burst out or break forth.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Related words

   breakout

Noun

1. a sudden violent spontaneous occurrence (usually of some undesirable condition)

   Synonyms

   eruptionirruption

   Broader terms

   happeningoccurrenceoccurrentnatural event

   Examples

   the outbreak of hostilities