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outbreak - 5 dictionary results

out⋅break

  [out-breyk]
Use outbreak in a Sentence
–noun
1. a sudden breaking out or occurrence; eruption: the outbreak of war.
2. a sudden and active manifestation: an outbreak of hives.
3. an outburst: an outbreak of temper.
4. an insurrection, revolt, or mutiny.
5. a public disturbance; riot.
Origin:
1595–1605; out- + break
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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out·break   (out'brāk')   
n.  
  1. A sudden increase: an outbreak of influenza.
  2. A sudden eruption; an outburst: "an outbreak of strikes, violent agitation, and arrests" (Samuel Chew).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Outbreak

Out"break`\, n. A bursting forth; eruption; insurrection. "Mobs and outbreaks." --J. H. Newman.

The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind. --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : outbreak
Spanish: estallido,
German: der Ausbruch,
Japanese: ぼっ発
More Translations »

outbreak  (n.)
"eruption" (of disease, hostilities, etc.), 1602, from out + break (v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: out·break
Pronunciation: 'aut-"brAk
Function: noun
1 : a sudden rise in the incidence of a disease outbreak ofmeasles>
2 : a sudden increase in numbers of a harmful organism and especially an insect within a particular area outbreak of locusts>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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