break·out
ˈbrāk-ˌau̇t 
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
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
S. L. Price4
: breakout session
They met in breakouts to exchange beat information and story ideas on the crucial coverage areas …—Editor & Publisher
Editor & Publisher5
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
David J. Neal1
: 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
Jal MehtaIn breakout groups, they debated which proposals would have the most impact, but also the most support.—Hannan Adely
Hannan Adely
broke out; broken out; breaking out; breaks out
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
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
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
Some bad passes, failed breakouts and a bad line change were ominous enough.
—Julian McKenzie, The Athletic, 19 Mar. 2025
Dave Quinn, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025
But one of the young players Twins manager Rocco Baldelli is counting on to have a breakout year, and make that pennant possible, was forced to leave Sunday's spring training game with what was reported as a hamstring strain.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
Byrefael Kubersky, science.org, 20 Mar. 2025
Officials did not break out a separate figure for the city of L.A.
LAHSA officials released the early snapshot of the data amid a tumultuous public debate over the performance and future of the joint-powers agency created by the city and county in the 1990s to manage homelessness funds.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakout
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
High profile selections of recent years have included Charlotte Wells’ multi-award-winning, father and daughter drama Aftersun, Belgian 2025 Oscars entry Belgium Julie Keeps Quiet and Malaysian breakout Tiger Stripes.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
Some bad passes, failed breakouts and a bad line change were ominous enough.
—Julian McKenzie, The Athletic, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Prior to his breakout role in Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the actor treaded the boards in musicals like Good Vibrations, Jersey Boys and Guys and Dolls.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025
But one of the young players Twins manager Rocco Baldelli is counting on to have a breakout year, and make that pennant possible, was forced to leave Sunday's spring training game with what was reported as a hamstring strain.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
Verb
Arguments can grow heated, traps can be stolen and destroyed, and fights can break out.
—Byrefael Kubersky, science.org, 20 Mar. 2025
Officials did not break out a separate figure for the city of L.A.
LAHSA officials released the early snapshot of the data amid a tumultuous public debate over the performance and future of the joint-powers agency created by the city and county in the 1990s to manage homelessness funds.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakout
Cite this Entry
“Breakout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakout. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
breakout
1 of 2 noun
break·out
ˈbrā-ˌkau̇t
: 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
Stacie Stukin, The Los Angeles TimesBecause 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
Harper's Bazaarbreak out
2 of 2 intransitive verb1
: 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
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