break out
Third Person
breaks out
Present Participle
breaking out
Past Tense
broke out
Past Participle
broken out
1
to free oneself from a place that one is being held against their will, such as a prison
- The prisoners attempted to break out during the night.
- The movie showcased a dramatic plot of prisoners trying to break out.
- The fugitive managed to break out using a hidden tunnel.
- The infamous criminal plotted for years to break out.
Synonyms:
2
(of an infectious disease) to start and spread within a community
- The virus broke out in the densely populated city.
- The unsupervised food handling broke out cases of foodborne illnesses.
- The contagious disease broke out in the hospital, affecting patients and staff.
- Norovirus broke out in the cruise ship, affecting passengers and crew.
- The infected person inadvertently broke out the virus in the crowded gathering.
Synonyms:
3
(of a war, fight, or other unwelcome occurrence) to start suddenly
- Violence broke out during the protest, leading to chaos.
- A fight broke out at the bar, resulting in police intervention.
- Riots broke out in the city after the controversial verdict.
- War broke out unexpectedly, catching the nation off guard.
- The fire broke out in the middle of the night, startling everyone.
4
to start to have pimples or a rash, typically on the face
- Make sure to remove your makeup; otherwise, you might break out.
- I never used to break out until I started a new medication.
- Stressful situations make some people break out in red patches.
- Changing skincare products suddenly made me break out.
- The humid weather makes my skin break out with acne.
Synonyms:
5
to take something out of storage and bring it into use
transitive
- She broke out her favorite board game for the family.
- The school broke out the sports equipment for the tournament.
- The library broke out its collection of rare books for display.
- The store broke out its holiday decorations for the season.
- Let's break the old records out for a nostalgic listening session.