outbreak
English · Thesaurus
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outbreak
- /ˈaʊtbɹeɪk/
Where it comes from
From Middle English outbreken, oute-breken, from Old English ūtābrecan (“to break out”), equivalent to out- + break. Cognate with Saterland Frisian uutbreeke (“to break out, burst out”), West Frisian útbrekke (“to break out”), Dutch uitbreken (“to break out, burst out”), German ausbrechen (“to break out, erupt”).
The noun is cognate with Saterland Frisian Uutbreek (“outbreak”), West Frisian útbrek (“outbreak”), Dutch uitbraak (“outbreak”), and German Ausbruch (“outbreak”), and is comparable to Danish udbrud (“outbreak”), Faroese and Icelandic útbrot (“rash”), Norwegian utbrudd (“outbreak”), and Swedish utbrott (“outbreak”).
noun outbreaks
- An eruption; the sudden appearance of a rash, disease, etc. Any epidemic outbreak causes understandable panic.
- A sudden increase. There has been an outbreak of vandalism at the school.
- An outburst or sudden eruption, especially of violence and mischief. There has been an outbreak of broken windows in the street.
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Synonym of breakout (“escape from prison”).
Similar: breakout
Opposite: inbreak
verb outbreaks · outbreaking · outbroke · outbroken
- To burst out or break forth.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: outburst, burst, flare-up, rupture, blowout, explosion, collapse, breaking, shattering, break, rash, fragmentation, onset, push, surge, boom
noun
Opposite: inbreak
Translations
Every language
noun an eruption, sudden appearance
| Español | brote, irrupción, surgimiento |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 爆發 /爆发 bàofā |
| Português | surto |
| Français | éruption, déclenchement, apparition |
| Deutsch | Ausbruch, Auftreten, Entfesselung |
| Italiano | scoppio, insorgenza |
| Română | izbucnire |
| Русский | вспы́шка vspýška, взрыв vzryv |
| العربية | تَفَشٍّ tafaššin |
noun a sudden increase
| 中文 | 激增 jīzēng |
|---|---|
| Français | explosion |
| Deutsch | sprunghafter Anstieg, plötzliche Zunahme, Massenvermehrung (biol.), Schwemme |
| Italiano | diffusione |
noun (fig.) an outburst or sudden eruption, especially violent
| Español | eclosión, surgimiento |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 一系列 yīxìliè, 突發事端 /突发事端 tūfā shìduān |
| Français | éruption, explosion |
| Deutsch | Ausbruch, plötzliches Auftreten, Lawine, Flut |
| Italiano | esplosione, eruzione |
| Română | izbucnire |
Talk about this word "outbreak." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/outbreak. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. outbreak. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/outbreak "outbreak." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/outbreak.Cite this
@misc{outbreak_2026,
title = {outbreak},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/outbreak},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
