1
as in flurry
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity there was an immediate outbreak of paper shuffling and a pretense of work when the supervisor passed through the room

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in revolt
open fighting against authority (as one's own government) the government quelled the outbreak with ruthless efficiency

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of outbreak What states are affected by the salmonella outbreak? Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 23 May 2025 For example, the Center for Disease Control issued an alert for an outbreak of dengue fever in Brazil, Fiji, Mexico, and other countries. Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 23 May 2025 In people who receive both doses, contracting measles is extremely rare—even during outbreaks. Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 22 May 2025 The Midwest has also suffered outbreaks of severe thunderstorms with damaging hail, wind and tornadoes this spring. Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for outbreak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbreak
Noun
  • Beyond the playoffs, NBA Draft, and flurry of early-summer free agency moves, the large majority of the NBA calendar plays out on regional sports networks.
    John Cassillo, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
  • Posey sent a message, and that message was received. Led by Johnson, Ramos and plenty of others, the Giants responded to this morning’s flurry of roster moves by erasing a five-run deficit against the San Diego Padres to beat their divisional rival, 6-5.
    Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 5 June 2025
Noun
  • Five days later, after a revolt, he was reinstated.
    Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2025
  • Related article As Trump reignites a trade war and faces a bond market revolt, the economy is about to go through the wringer this week It’s been somewhat difficult to assess the true health of consumer spending lately.
    Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • Short bursts of revenue can flatter results but may not create lasting value, so make decisions with a long horizon in mind.
    Ayo Adepoju, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
  • The successful challenge appeared to give Florida a burst of energy, but the Panthers could not convert on any of their chances in the shutout loss.
    Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • What’s the political climate, social climate that has to exist in order for an insurrection to appear?
    Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025
  • It was suspended across the states during the entire Civil War; in counties in South Carolina that were overrun by the Ku Klux Klan during Reconstruction; in specific places in the Philippines during an insurrection in 1905; and in Hawaii following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
    Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 9 May 2025
Noun
  • The outburst comes just days after Trump and Musk appeared together for a chummy White House news conference billed as a friendly sendoff for the latter.
    Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 3 June 2025
  • That 18-point outburst remains Johannès’ lone double-digit scoring night of the season in seven tries.
    Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 2 June 2025
Noun
  • Karen Young, founder of the inclusive body care brand Oui the People, similarly recalls the emotional labor of leading during collective crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 racial uprisings and the recent election.
    Jasmine Browley, Essence, 28 May 2025
  • Filmmakers, inspired by the uprising, began creating without hijab, without state approval, and often in complete secrecy.
    Ali Farahmand, IndieWire, 23 May 2025
Noun
  • Congressional Republicans Thursday agreed to move forward with President Trump’s sprawling budget plan a day after a mutiny by right-wing lawmakers threatened to derail it.
    Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2025
  • In 1995, prosecutors wanted to question the former military dictator Chun Doo-hwan on insurrection and mutiny charges stemming from his role in a 1979 coup and a massacre of demonstrators the following year.
    Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Hulu's Emmy-winning series pushed far beyond the events in Margaret Atwood's 1985 book, building to a rebellion in the totalitarian, patriarchal nation where women are dehumanized and used as vessels for breeding.
    EW.com, EW.com, 28 May 2025
  • While there were wins for the rebellion, Gilead lives on with many of June’s strongest allies trapped there at the start of the episode, like Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) and Janine (Madeline Brewer).
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 26 May 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Outbreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outbreak. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on outbreak

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!