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outbreak

outbreak

188 3.5
A sudden start of disease or violence that affects many people
  • noun
  • /ˈaʊtˌbreɪk/
translation icon : brote (enfermedad)
  • But then in May, an outbreak of bubonic plague struck in the port of Marseilles.
  • an outbreak of violence
  • a disease outbreak
  • an outbreak of war

That's not enough transmission to cause an outbreak, but it's clearly happening.

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Examples

  • India is currently in the grips of its worst outbreak of dengue fever in years.

  • A mob is building up, and sporadic outbreaks of violence are being reported.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • I mean, they had a small outbreak and they shut down the port for a month.

  • With any outbreak, there is a patient zero.

  • The outbreak moved faster this time.

  • Nobody lived there after the outbreak.

  • Eleven deaths have now been reported since the outbreak began three days ago.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • So we might talk of an outbreak of influenza in New Haven.

  • An outbreak of cholera would look extremely bad on a report, would it not, sir?

  • The sudden outbreak of the virus forced the city to implement strict quarantine measures.

Synonyms

epidemic
vsoutbreak
300 4.6

A disease that spreads to many people in one area at the same time

is a sudden start of unwelcome things across contexts, not limited to disease
rash
vsoutbreak
65 5.9

A large number of unpleasant events that happen suddenly

is about any sudden start, not only a rapid cluster of events
onslaught
vsoutbreak
30 7.6

A sudden violent attack, often by soldiers or severe weather

is a sudden start of unwelcome things not limited to aggressive attacks
flare-up
vsoutbreak
11 6.0

A sudden increase in violence, anger, or symptoms

is the sudden start of unwelcome events rather than a brief recurrence
eruption
vsoutbreak
4 4.3

A sudden violent outburst of feeling or action

is a sudden unwelcome start not only limited to visible damage
rapid spread
vsoutbreak
1 3.7

A fast increase that affects many people or places

focuses on the initial sudden start rather than later quick expansion
irruption
vsoutbreak
9.9

A sudden violent outbreak of harm like disease or fighting

is a sudden start of unwelcome things but not necessarily violent

Antonyms

221 2.4

Stopping something harmful from happening

Compounds

1 4.8

Many people get a stomach illness that causes vomiting or diarrhoea

A sudden spread of a new illness caused by a virus among people

How Widespread

pandemic
  • Specialized
43 4.0
epidemic
300 4.6
outbreak
188 3.5
flare-up
11 6.0
incident
2.7

Surface Forms

outbreak singular
outbreaks plural

Morphology

outbreak = break (transparent) = out + break

Formed from 'out' + 'break' (related to the phrasal verb 'break out') meaning a sudden start; learners who know the components can derive the meaning. [Postprocessing: moved 'out' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

The word outbreak is made from out- and break, giving the image of something 'breaking out' suddenly. That's why an outbreak means the sudden start of something bad, like a disease or violence.