outbreak

outbreak — noun

1. a sudden start and quick spread of something harmful, especially disease, violen

1.nounC2
Definition

a sudden start and quick spread of something harmful, especially disease, violence, fire, or insects.

Example

The village school closed after an outbreak of flu.

outbreak of + disease

There was an outbreak of fighting near the border town.

there was an outbreak of + violence

Common collocations
  • an outbreak of flu
  • an outbreak of violence
  • an outbreak of insects
  • control an outbreak
  • trace an outbreak to contaminated water
Synonyms
  • epidemic

    narrower and mainly used for disease affecting many people in an area

  • onset

    more formal and focused on the beginning rather than the spread

  • flare-up

    often suggests a sudden burst or return, especially of violence or trouble

Antonyms
  • containment

    control that stops the spread of the problem

  • recovery

    return to a healthy or safe state after the outbreak

Grammar Patterns

an outbreak of + disease/violence/fire/insects

during an outbreak

trace an outbreak to + source

Usage Note

Usually followed by 'of' plus a disease, a violent event, fire, or harmful insects, and it often suggests that the problem is spreading through an area. Distinguish from 'onset': 'outbreak' points to visible spread or many cases, not just the first moment something begins.

Common Mistakes

We celebrated the outbreak of summer vacation.
We celebrated the start of summer vacation.
'outbreak' is used for harmful or unwanted events, not pleasant planned ones.
An outbreak happened flu in the town.
An outbreak of flu happened in the town.
this noun usually takes 'of' before the disease or problem.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Outbreak' is a broad word for something harmful that starts suddenly and begins to spread, especially disease, violence, fire, or insects. 'Epidemic' is narrower because it is mainly about disease and usually suggests a larger number of cases across a community or region. 'Onset' is more formal and points to the beginning itself, not the later spread. 'Flare-up' often suggests a short, sudden burst or return of trouble, such as fighting or pain, and can sound less official. Use 'outbreak' when the event is clearly affecting a place or group: 'The town reported an outbreak of measles.' Use 'onset' for the first stage only: 'the onset of pain.'

outbreak ↗epidemic ↗onset ↗flare-up

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • outbreak of disease
  • outbreak of violence
  • control an outbreak
  • trace an outbreak to its source

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Outbreak was formed in English from the verb phrase 'break out'. The older image was of something bursting out into the open. That idea developed into the modern noun for the sudden appearance and spread of disease, violence, fire, or other trouble.