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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in revolt
open fighting against authority (as one's own government)
the government quelled the outbreak with ruthless efficiency
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of outbreak
The Ontario, Chihuahua and Texas outbreaks stem from large Mennonite communities in the regions.
—
Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 2025
Together, the film characters dream of an outbreak that is at the same time inhibited by fear and self-shame.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 10 July 2025
Cholera can kill in a matter of hours After more than two years of full-scale armed conflict in Sudan, a raging cholera outbreak is putting already vulnerable children at further risk.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
In Gaines County, Texas, the epicenter of the Texas outbreak, only 82% of kindergarteners were up-to-date with MMR vaccines.
—Devi Shastri, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for outbreak
Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 2025
Together, the film characters dream of an outbreak that is at the same time inhibited by fear and self-shame.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 10 July 2025
Cholera can kill in a matter of hours After more than two years of full-scale armed conflict in Sudan, a raging cholera outbreak is putting already vulnerable children at further risk.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
In Gaines County, Texas, the epicenter of the Texas outbreak, only 82% of kindergarteners were up-to-date with MMR vaccines.
—Devi Shastri, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for outbreak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbreak
Noun
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That area has seen a flurry of property sales since Mayor Joe Hogsett announced his intentions to build a professional league stadium at what is now the downtown Indianapolis heliport, but some of the Simon property purchases predate the mayor's public announcement.—
Alysa Guffey,
IndyStar,
25 July 2025
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This move could be the first of a flurry after Arizona was swept by Houston earlier this week.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
25 July 2025
Noun
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Wells’s revolt against White led to the making of one of New York’s greatest houses.—
Henry Wiencek
July 22,
Literary Hub,
22 July 2025
-
Trump faces a revolt from his MAGA base as the Jeffrey Epstein files dominated a conservative conference in Tampa this weekend.—
Jana Kasperkevic,
NBC news,
14 July 2025
Noun
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The galaxy can be seen undergoing a burst of star formation thanks to the tidal influence of a galactic neighbor, with the glowing red form of an emission nebula visible throughout, giving the impression of a cosmic firework display.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
13 July 2025
-
This act of formality did not prevent an easy atmosphere from developing in our classrooms; there were frequent bursts of laughter.—
Brooke Allen,
New Yorker,
12 July 2025
Noun
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Since then, he has been emboldened to speak his mind, coming out against Ed Martin for the top federal prosecutor gig in Washington because of his support and defense of the rioters who sent Tillis and colleagues fleeing during the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
30 June 2025
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In its more than four decades in power, the Islamic Republic has faced its share of popular insurrections.—
ERIC EDELMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
20 June 2025
Noun
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The incident occurred after Brickhouse accused her co-workers of stealing her phone, leading to a violent outburst, court filings say.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
21 July 2025
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Also, any strong and sudden outbursts in meteor activity — which are hard to predict, but possible — may last only a few hours.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Noun
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Intifada is an Arabic word for uprising, and in a Palestinian context usually refers to two periods of violence between Israeli authorities and Palestinian militant groups and demonstrators.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
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The interim government has banned the Awami League party and amended relevant laws to allow the trial of the former ruling party for its role during the uprising.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
10 July 2025
Noun
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The voyage is exhausting beyond expectations, with hunger and mutiny pushing the crew to their limits.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
9 May 2025
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Along the way, the exhausting voyage involved various mutinies and crew deaths, and upon reaching the islands of the Malayan Archipelago, Magellan’s mind and ambitions changed.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
18 May 2025
Noun
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Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans, by contrast, advanced a more limited vision of federal governance, including a revenue system that relied heavily on tariffs and not at all on internal taxes (like the controversial excise on whiskey that sparked the eponymous rebellion).—
Joseph Thorndike,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
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To be clear, not all teens are taking part in some sort of mass rebellion by staring us down.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
17 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outbreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outbreak. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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