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
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2025
Dominic Sessa, the breakout star of 2023's The Holdovers, will portray the iconic chef and TV personality in Tony, Entertainment Weekly has learned.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2025
Taylor Kitsch After landing her breakout role as Lyla Garrity on Friday Night Lights in 2007, Kelly began quietly dating her on-screen love interest, Taylor Kitsch, despite director Peter Berg’s advice to avoid an off-screen romance.
—Kelsey Lentz, People.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
The fire, which broke out around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area in Barnegat Township, soon extended into Lacey and Ocean townships.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 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
Other past titles include Amazon’s Honey Boy, written by and starring Shia LaBeouf, Sundance breakout Patti Cake$, A Ciambra, and Under the Silver Lake.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2025
Dominic Sessa, the breakout star of 2023's The Holdovers, will portray the iconic chef and TV personality in Tony, Entertainment Weekly has learned.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Kaleb Johnson, Iowa The 2024 season was a breakout effort for Johnson (6-1, 224), who led the Big Ten with 1,537 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns.
—Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2025
Taylor Kitsch After landing her breakout role as Lyla Garrity on Friday Night Lights in 2007, Kelly began quietly dating her on-screen love interest, Taylor Kitsch, despite director Peter Berg’s advice to avoid an off-screen romance.
—Kelsey Lentz, People.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
While a promising player, Booker was inconsistent at guard through his first two seasons before breaking out in 2024.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
The fire, which broke out around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area in Barnegat Township, soon extended into Lacey and Ocean townships.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 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 28 Apr. 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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