Dictionary

break out en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To escape, especially forcefully or defiantly.
   • They broke out of prison in the middle of the night.
   • The brigade succeeded in breaking out of the pocket and reunited with friendly forces.
2. (transitive) To rescue someone or aid their escape as in sense 1.
   • After Big Tony was sent to prison, his friends got together to break him out.
3. (idiomatic, transitive) To bring out from storage, use, or present.
   • Break out the bubbly and celebrate.
   • Before you immediately break out calculus, consider that there might be a more elegant way to find the answer in this case.
   • Picks and shovels had been perfectly adequate for the sporadic digging we’d had to do over the last month, but when faced with 30 cubic yards of earth to move in at once, we decided to break out the heavy equipment.
4. (transitive) To separate (something) from a bundle.
   • Break out the cables from the harness once they are inside the frame.
5. (transitive) To take or force out by breaking.
   • to break out a pane of glass
6. (intransitive) To begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition.
   • Governor Lai left today for Neichiang, which is west of Chungking and is about midway between the city and Chengtu where General Yang establishes his headquarters and stations a large portion of his troops. With the Civil Governor and General Teng moving to Neichiang, it is certian^([sic – meaning certain]) that fighting will break out in that section of the province. 1925 April 25, “Szechwan's Controversy Over Salt Revenue”, in The China Weekly Review, volume XXXII, number 8, sourced from Independent Herald (Hankow), →OCLC, page 232, column 2:
   • The pretty lips pouted awhile but then she glanced up and broke out into a joyous little laugh which had in it all the freshness of a young May morning. 1922, James Joyce, chapter 13, in Ulysses:
   • In a war of words that has broken out between Khan and Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps, the Mayor was accused of sending revenue-raising proposals to Shapps some three weeks late, giving him little choice but to extend negotiations. 2022 January 12, “Network News: Further extension to Transport for London emergency funding”, in RAIL, number 948, page 8:
   • He broke out in sweat.
   • He broke out in song.
   • The First World War broke out in 1914.
7. (intransitive, of a person) To suddenly get pimples or a rash, especially on one's face.
   • break out in hives
   • break out in a rash
8. (intransitive, qualifier:especially recording industry or movies) (Of a record, film, product, or company): to achieve widespread success.
   • It wasn't until later that her album broke out and she hit the big time.
   • Avant will finish a radio tour this summer that includes a stop in Chicago, where the single broke out thanks to support from WGCI programmer Elroy Smith. 2000, Billboard, volume 112, number 28, page 25:
   • The record first happened a few years ago in Florida and had considerable sales. A year later, the record broke out again in Florida and again experienced considerable sales. Both times, it either made the chart or bubbled under. 1971, Billboard, volume 83, number 13, page 31:
9. (New-England, obsolete) To remove snow from a road or sidewalk.
   • Art. 24—To see what action the town will take in relation to breaking out highways and what portion of the road money, if any, shall be reserved for this purpose. 1895, Judkins, Brawn & Eaton, "Town Warrant" in 79th Annual Report of the Municipal Officers of the Town of Dexter (Maine), Bunker & Warren, page 6

Forms

Coordinates

break in · break into

Deriveds

breakout

Relateds

break down · break up · break away

Synonyms

sunder out · bust out · bust out · bust out

Translations (83)

es fugarse (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ru вы́ломать (to take or force out by breaking) · cy taro allan (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · de herausbrechen (to take or force out by breaking) · fi ottaa esiin (to bring out, use, or present) · ru сбега́ть (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ru вы́рваться (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ar اِنْدَلَعَ (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · fr isoler (to separate from a bundle) · fr briser (to take or force out by breaking) · uk втікти́ (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ja 勃発する (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · ru сбежа́ть (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · fi syttyä (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · cy taro allan (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · sv bryta sig ut (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · de herauslösen (to separate from a bundle) · cmn 逃出 (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · de ausbrechen (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · de ausbrechen (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ru разража́ться (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · ru вспы́хивать (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · fr s’évader (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ro izbucni (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · ru разгоре́ться (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · cmn 爆發 /爆发 (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · es desatarse (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · pl wybić (to take or force out by breaking) · ru выла́мывать (to take or force out by breaking) · cmn 勃發 /勃发 (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · it evadere (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ru разгора́ться (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · fi puhjeta (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · pl wyłamać (to take or force out by breaking) · es irrumpir (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · de hervorholen (to bring out, use, or present) · es estallar (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · ru выбива́ть (to take or force out by breaking) · ru вы́бить (to take or force out by breaking) · pl wyjąć (to bring out, use, or present) · es salirse (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ko 발발하다 (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · sv utbryta (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · ja 脱出する (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · pl wyjmować (to separate from a bundle) · az qopmaq (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · es escaparse (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · pl wyjmować (to bring out, use, or present) · ru вспы́хнуть (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · sv rymma (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · pl wyłamywać (to take or force out by breaking) · fi purkaa (to separate from a bundle) · fi paeta (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ro scoate (to bring out, use, or present) · pl wydostawać się (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · es escapar forzadamente (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · fi hajottaa (to separate from a bundle) · de absondern (to separate from a bundle) · uk спала́хувати (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · lv izlauzties (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ko 탈출하다 (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · pl wydzielić (to separate from a bundle) · es desencadenarse (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · pl wydzielać (to separate from a bundle) · pl wydostać się (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ru разрази́ться (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · th แหก (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · fr s'échapper (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ro evada (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ru прорва́ться (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · la ērumpō (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · fr survenir (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · fi särkeä (to take or force out by breaking) · fr montrer (to bring out, use, or present) · pl wybuchać (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · pl wyjąć (to separate from a bundle) · pl wybijać (to take or force out by breaking) · pl wybuchnąć (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · ru достать (to bring out, use, or present) · ca esclatar (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · es prorrumpir (to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition) · ru вырыва́ться (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly) · ru прорыва́ться (to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly)