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Showing results for break out. Search instead for break+short.
Synonyms

break out

British  

verb

  1. (intr, adverb) to begin or arise suddenly

    panic broke out

  2. (intr, adverb) to make an escape, esp from prison or confinement

  3. (of the skin) to erupt (in a rash, pimples, etc)

  4. (tr, adverb) to launch or introduce (a new product)

  5. (tr, adverb) to open and start using

    break out the champagne
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an escape, esp from prison or confinement

    1. a great success, esp following relatively disappointing performance

    2. ( as modifier )

      a breakout year
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
break out Idioms  

  1. Develop suddenly and forcefully. For example, A fire broke out last night , or He broke out in a sweat . [ a.d. 1000]

  2. Be affected with a skin eruption, such as a rash or boils, as in A teenager's face often breaks out in pimples . [c. 1300]

  3. Prepare something for consumption, action, or use, as in Let's break out the champagne , or It's such a fine day—let's break out the fishing rods . [Early 1800s]

  4. break out of . Force out by breaking; also, escape from confinement. For example, The hurricane broke the glass out of all the windows , or He broke out of prison but was soon apprehended . [Early 1600s]

  5. Isolate a portion of a body of data, as in Please break out the sales figures from the quarterly report . [Mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"What you find is a lot of people find themselves in a debt cycle which they really struggle to break out of, hence why agencies and organisations such as Dial are crucial."

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

One of these times, the market will indeed break out to new highs and accelerate from there.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

The Financial Accounting Standards Board wants to require companies to disclose significant stablecoin holdings as part of a broader move to have companies break out their different types of cash equivalents.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Researchers had tasked Mythos with trying to break out of its not-connected “sandbox” and it did.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

In desperation, the clans decided to break out the heavy artillery.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.