outbreak

[ out-breyk ]

noun

1. a sudden breaking break out or occurrence, especially of something bad or unpleasant; eruption:

   the outbreak of war.

2. a sudden and active manifestation:

   an outbreak of hives.

3. a sudden increase in the incidence of a disease or medical condition in a particular place or population: a worldwide polio outbreak in the early 1900s.

   a serious outbreak of malaria in northern Uganda;

   a worldwide polio outbreak in the early 1900s.

4. an outburst:

   an outbreak of temper.

5. an insurrection, revolt, or mutiny.
6. a public disturbance; riot.

outbreak

/ ˈaʊtˌbreɪk /

noun

1. a sudden, violent, or spontaneous occurrence, esp of disease or strife

Word History and Origins

Origin of outbreak¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; out- + break

Example Sentences

McDonald's suspended sales of the Quarter Pounder burger in October in about a fifth of its US restaurants in response to the outbreak.

From BBC

"At this time, there does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak at McDonald’s restaurants," the update said.

From BBC

On 29 October, McDonald's chief executive Chris Kempczinski apologised for the outbreak, saying the firm was "sorry for what our customers experienced".

From BBC

Amnesty has called for the embargo to be expanded to the rest of Sudan, and to strengthen its monitoring mechanism following the outbreak of a civil war last year.

From BBC

Her third concern is how government officials are dealing with this outbreak, which she described as “letting it continue to spread from animals to people, without trying to do more to get ahead of it.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crash
• disruption
• epidemic
• eruption
• explosion
• flare-up
• onset
• plague
• storm
• surge
• uprising