breaking out

present participle of break out
as in erupting
to develop suddenly and violently in the wake of news reports of deaths from the flu, panic broke out, and there was a mad rush for flu shots

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 breaking out The dispute led to a fight breaking out, during which police allege 47-year-old Victor Rivera Hartford stabbed Tellado. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026 But there’s a universal element that all young adult actors must contend with — breaking out of the space. Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026 Another warehouse belonging to the Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries was also attacked to the east of Moscow, Vorobyov said, with a fire breaking out at the facility. David Brennan, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026 Elevated energy prices in the wake of the Middle East conflict breaking out months ago have raised concerns about inflationary pressures, though the latest batch of mild inflation data has offered some reassurance to investors. Sean Conlon,hugh Leask, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026 After celebrating, a video posted by BBC Sport showed the Belgian squad huddling together to bask in their victory, before breaking out into dance. Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026 Frustration is boiling over, and fights are breaking out between people struggling to buy rationed supplies of gasoline. Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 June 2026 Raleigh snapped the longest hitless streak in the major leagues during the team’s 10-2 win over the Astors on Tuesday, breaking out of an 0-38 slump with a pair of singles. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026 Rookies were instructed through stretches and warmups before breaking out into positional drills during the media-viewing portion of rookie minicamp. David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking out
Verb
  • Its skyline is dominated by towering smokestacks, hulking arrays of metal tubes and bright flames erupting from flares at petrochemical plants in the global plastics supply chain.
    Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Triton’s nitrogen geyser system Voyager 2 observed at least four dark plumes erupting from Triton, Neptune’s largest moon, during its 1989 flyby.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Likewise, Roman will see exploding stars called supernovas that allow astronomers to measure how fast the universe has been expanding.
    Don Figer, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Steiner said a mass of glacial ice dropping from a great height could have felt like a bomb exploding, resulting in the chaos that followed.
    Sibi Arasu, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Breaking out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20out. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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