breakout

1 of 3

noun

break·​out ˈbrāk-ˌau̇t How to pronounce breakout (audio)
plural breakouts
1
: a violent or forceful break from a restraining condition or situation: such as
a
: a military attack to break from encirclement
b
: an escape from prison or jail
2
a
: 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
b
: an outbreak of disease
a measles breakout
3
: a success or accomplishment especially in comparison to previous efforts
His breakout in 2006 felt like one of those too-good-to-be-true narratives …S. L. Price
4
: breakout session
They met in breakouts to exchange beat information and story ideas on the crucial coverage areas …Editor & Publisher
5
ice hockey : a play that moves the puck out of the defensive zone
… several drills during practice stressed short, crisp passing on the breakouts.David J. Neal

breakout

2 of 3

adjective

1
: being or relating to a sudden or overwhelming success especially in comparison to previous efforts
a breakout book
2
: being, relating to, or used in a breakout session
a breakout discussion
breakout activities
… some students have thrived in the small groups afforded by virtual breakout rooms.Jal Mehta
In breakout groups, they debated which proposals would have the most impact, but also the most support.Hannan Adely

break out

3 of 3

verb

broke out; broken out; breaking out; breaks out

intransitive verb

1
: to develop or emerge with suddenness or force
fire broke out
a riot broke out
2
a
: 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

transitive verb

1
a
: 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

Examples of breakout in a Sentence

Noun the captives had been planning to stage a breakout at the next change in shift for the guards Adjective 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
The Most Good Boy: Messi Anatomy of a Fall’s breakout border collie took a 12-hour flight to Los Angeles (presumably without meds) just to endure a marathon junket to promote other people’s nominations? Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 The breakout multiplayer hit Helldivers 2, meanwhile, launched simultaneously on PC and PS5 in February. Andrew Webster, The Verge, 6 Mar. 2024 Lindsay Lohan just paid homage to her breakout movie. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 At a time when minting new superstars is harder than ever, the company won a bidding war (alongside 10K Projects) in fall 2022 for Ice Spice, who would become the defining breakout star of 2023. Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 29 Feb. 2024 Hybe America’s management affiliate SB Projects signed new artists such as multi-award-winning Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Ozuna and Atlantic Records’ breakout rapper Kaliii, last year. Patrick Frater, Variety, 26 Feb. 2024 The breakout points to a price target well over $300. Bill Sarubbi, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 About 140 attended in person Thursday and got split into seven breakout rooms; about 45 joined online. Jimena Tavel, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2024 Following his win for outstanding male actor in a drama series at the 2024 SAG Awards on Saturday, Pascal, 48, teased what’s to come in season 2 of his breakout HBO hit The Last of Us. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Following his breakout role in 1973’s Bang the Drum Slowly and then in Mean Streets, De Niro became one of the most revered actors in the film industry. Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 The Wolf of Wall Street Robbie’s breakout role was in the 2013 dark comedy The Wolf of Wall Street. Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 Sidekick to: The guys of Lambda Epsilon Omega Character actor Pat Cranshaw finally found a breakout role in 2003 as Old School's 89-year-old fratboy Joseph ''Blue'' Pulaski. Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 In December of 2019, 23-year-old Oskar Lindblom had his breakout NHL season interrupted by a diagnosis of Ewings Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Carol Schram, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 This is a breakout role for Woodall, who now stars on Netflix’s adaptation of One Day, and a more adult direction for Meghann Fahy, who rose to fame on The Bold Type. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 20 Feb. 2024 Before spring training gets underway, The Baltimore Sun is breaking down each of the Orioles’ position groups to examine their strengths, weaknesses and breakout candidates. Matt Weyrich, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2024 Jake Ferguson, who had a breakout season at tight end for the Dallas Cowboys, was also named to the Pro Bowl in his second NFL season. Journal Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2024 The single immediately arrived not only as his own biggest hit, but one of the breakout songs of early 2024, debuting at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and jumping to No. 3 just two weeks later. Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 14 Feb. 2024
Verb
Recent incidents on the subway include a shooting that broke out on an elevated train platform in the Bronx, killing a man and wounding five others in February. USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 And a leaky roof forces others to break out plastic sheeting. Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 But in the world of venture capital, where investors pride themselves on being mature counselors to brilliant-but-impulsive founders, the public dispute that broke out between Andreessen and Khosla over the past few days qualifies as a remarkable rumpus. Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 Josh Donaldson, who broke out as an American League MVP candidate with the Oakland A’s, announced his retirement from baseball on Monday. Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 Three people were treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out shortly after midnight Monday in a three-story apartment building in Kansas City’s Independence Plaza neighborhood, said fire department spokesman said. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024 The Baltimore City Fire Department said in a Facebook post that the fire broke out on Tuesday in a home located in eastern Baltimore. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024 Some of our colleagues scoff at the idea of such a recent trend making its return, while others are ready to break out their chokers and knee socks. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2024 Simmons also announced that three inmates who broke out of jail around the same time the couple vanished and allegedly made their getaway in their yacht have been re-arrested and are cooperating in the case, according to authorities. Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'breakout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1820, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of breakout was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near breakout

Cite this Entry

“Breakout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakout. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

break out

verb
1
: to develop or erupt suddenly and with force
fire broke out
a riot broke out
2
: to develop a skin rash
broke out in hives

Medical Definition

breakout

1 of 2 noun
break·​out ˈbrā-ˌkau̇t How to pronounce breakout (audio)
: an eruption or inflammation of the skin
This is especially true for those who have acne and are desperate to stop breakouts without taking prescription antibiotics …Stacie Stukin, The Los Angeles Times
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

break out

2 of 2 intransitive verb
1
: to be affected with a skin eruption and especially one indicative of the presence of a particular disease
breaking out with measles
2
of a disease : to manifest itself by skin eruptions
3
: to become covered with
break out in a sweat

More from Merriam-Webster on breakout

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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