breakout
noun
break·out
| \ ˈbrāk-ˌau̇t
\
\
Definition of breakout
(Entry 1 of 3)
1
: a violent or forceful break from a restraining condition or situation
especially
: a military attack to break from encirclement
2
: an eruption or inflammation of the skin
Because stress can throw your hormones out of balance, it can make normal sebaceous glands produce oil at an increased rate, causing breakouts.— Harper's Bazaar
breakout
adjectiveDefinition of breakout (Entry 2 of 3)
: being or relating to a sudden or smashing success especially in comparison to previous efforts
a breakout book
break out
verb
broke out;
broken out;
breaking out;
breaks out
Definition of break out (Entry 3 of 3)
1
: to develop or emerge with suddenness or force
fire broke out a riot broke out
2a
: to become covered
break out in a sweat
b
: to become affected with an eruption or inflammation of the skin
break out in hives his face broke out with acne
3
: to make a break from a restraining condition or situation
broke out of a slump broke out of jail
1a
: to make ready for action or use
break out the tents and make camp
b
: to produce for consumption
break out a bottle of champagne
2
: to display flying and unfurled
3
: to separate from a mass of data
break out newsstand sales
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Synonyms for breakout
Synonyms: Noun
break, bunk [British], escape, flight, getaway, lam, rout, slip
Synonyms: Verb
blaze (up), burst (forth), erupt, explode, flame, flare (up)
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Examples of breakout in a Sentence
Noun
the captives had been planning to stage a breakout at the next change in shift for the guardsAdjective
The company had a breakout year last year, tripling its profits from the previous year.Verb
in the wake of news reports of deaths from the flu, panic broke out, and there was a mad rush for flu shots
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Junior Monty Rice is poised for a breakout season inside while first-year freshman Nakobe Dean will be hard to keep off the field. — Edgar Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, "2019 College Football Countdown: No. 3 Georgia looks to break through, win SEC," 22 Aug. 2019 Running back Kevin Mensah enjoyed the best game of his breakout season, with 187 rushing yards, while Pindell rushed for 181 more. — Alex Putterman, courant.com, "Reviewing UConn’s 2018 season: Plenty the Huskies would like to forget," 21 Aug. 2019 Mixon, a third-year pro out of Oklahoma, had a breakout season in 2018, touching the ball 280 times with zero fumbles for 1,464 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns (eight rushing, one receiving). — Neil Greenberg, The Denver Post, "Three high-volume running backs you can grab after Round 1 of your fantasy football draft," 21 Aug. 2019 In fact, Valintis said, Mancha is poised to have a breakout season. — Gregg Voss, chicagotribune.com, "Pioneer Press 2019 boys soccer preview: West Suburban Gold," 17 Aug. 2019 Jon Hale points out three UK players that could be in line for breakout seasons. — Gentry Estes, The Courier-Journal, "Anonymous coaches dish on their outlook for Louisville football in the 2019 season," 7 Aug. 2019 In the midst of a breakout season, the left-hander has three years of team control remaining. — Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, "MLB front offices expose Detroit Tigers' trade deadline mistakes," 4 Aug. 2019 Fisher, Madubuike and others have vowed Clemons is primed for a breakout season as a junior. — Brent Zwerneman, ExpressNews.com, "Texas A&M is sure it can hold the line," 3 Aug. 2019 The Brewers' first-round pick in 2015 out of Richland (Texas) High School, the 22-year-old Grisham is in the midst of a breakout season and capped his Missions tenure for the time being with a two-homer cycle. — Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "In midst of 'incredible' minor-league season, Trent Grisham will make Brewers debut Thursday," 31 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
American Ashley Wagner was a surprise omission from the U.S. figure skating roster after Tennell's breakout performances in Skate America and the national championships. — Anchorage Daily News, "Everything you need to know about the Winter Olympics," 8 Feb. 2018 American Ashley Wagner was a surprise omission from the U.S. figure skating roster after Tennell's breakout performances in Skate America and the national championships. — The Washington Post, chicagotribune.com, "Everything you need to know about the Winter Olympics," 7 Feb. 2018 Sparring Partner Next year's breakout Victoria's Secret supermodel, who has a mean right cross. — Benjy Hansen-bundy, GQ, "How To Be Better Than Everyone Else In 2018," 7 Feb. 2018 The evening featured a panel presentation and interactive breakout discussion groups aimed to empower singles to share their common experiences and ideas for proactive solutions. — Sergio Carmona, Jewish Journal, "South Beach soiree attracts Jewish singles looking for love," 7 Feb. 2018 Johnson said via email, before her breakout weekend. — Chadd Cripe, idahostatesman, "U.S. Olympians with ties to Idaho include skier, snowboarders | Idaho Statesman," 6 Feb. 2018 Bartosz Kapustka, a player hyped for his breakout performances for Poland at Euro 2016, failed to play a single Premier League game last season and was loaned to Freiburg for 2017-18. — SI.com, "Extent of Leicester's Poor 2016 Recruitment Made Clear After Last Signings Leave Club," 2 Feb. 2018 Similarly, Haddish’s spirited turn in Girls Trip was one of the breakout performances of 2017. — Eliza Berman, Time, "The Biggest Snubs and Surprises of the 2018 Oscar Nominations," 23 Jan. 2018 Camila Mendes is best known for her breakout performance as pithy former mean girl Veronica Lodge on The CW's Riverdale. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Riverdale's Camila Mendes Impersonates the Internet," 18 Jan. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
New Mexico State Police say the fight broke out when an inmate began arguing with a prison guard escorting a nurse who was delivering medicine to prisoners. — Ben Kesslen, NBC News, "Video shows inmates attacking New Mexico prison guards," 2 Aug. 2019 In 1944, an uprising broke out in Warsaw, Poland, against Nazi occupation; the revolt lasted two months before collapsing. — BostonGlobe.com, "This day in history," 1 Aug. 2019 Enquirer media partner Fox19 reported the fire broke out around 5 a.m. and a man was found unresponsive in the front yard due to a cardiac arrest. — Cameron Knight, Cincinnati.com, "Man dies after fire at Reading home," 25 July 2019 Criminal damaging: Ruth Ellen Drive Officers responded to the Dorchester Village apartments July 20 for a report of a woman breaking out a window with a tire iron and ripping out the screen. — cleveland.com, "Missing order of French fries brings cops to McDonald’s: Richmond Heights Police Blotter," 24 July 2019 Trainer notes No trainer really broke out the first week as Richard Baltas, Peter Miller and Doug O’Neill all had three wins each. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Familiar jockey battle brewing at Del Mar," 23 July 2019 Fire investigators determined the blaze broke out on the stovetop with a burner left on. — Houston Chronicle, "Woman sought in toddler cousin's death surrenders," 9 July 2019 The blaze has consumed 2,242 acres since breaking out around 9 p.m. Tuesday off Del Puerto Canyon Road about 12 miles west of Interstate 5 near Patterson. — Jason Green, The Mercury News, "Cal Fire battling blaze in East Santa Clara County," 26 June 2019 To prevent violence from breaking out (and frankly, discourage attendance), locals got a court order to ban the sale and consumption of alcohol at the event, reports Deutsche Welle. — The Christian Science Monitor, "What really makes us what we are?," 25 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'breakout.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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