break out

See also: breakout

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Verb

break out (third-person singular simple present breaks out, present participle breaking out, simple past broke out, past participle broken out)

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, idiomatic) To bring out, use, or present.

   Break out the bubbly and celebrate.

3. (transitive) To separate from a bundle.

   Break out the cables from the harness once they are inside the frame.

4. (transitive) To take or force out by breaking.

   to break out a pane of glass

5. (intransitive) To begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition.

   He broke out in sweat.

   He broke out in song.

   • 1922, James Joyce, chapter 13, in Ulysses:

     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.

   • 2022 January 12, “Network News: Further extension to Transport for London emergency funding”, in RAIL, number 948, page 8:

     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.

6. (intransitive) To suddenly get pimples or a rash, especially on one's face.
7. (recording industry, intransitive) Of a record: to achieve success.
   • 1971, Billboard (volume 83, number 13, page 31)

     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.

   • 2000, Billboard (volume 112, number 28, page 25)

     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.

8. (obsolete, New England) To remove snow from a road or sidewalk.
   • 1895, Judkins, Brawn & Eaton, "Town Warrant" in 79th Annual Report of the Municipal Officers of the Town of Dexter (Maine), Bunker & Warren, page 6:

     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.

Synonyms

• (to separate from): sunder out

Translations

to escape, especially forcefully or defiantly

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 逃出 (zh) (táochū)

• Finnish: paeta (fi)
• French: s'échapper (fr), s’évader (fr)
• German: ausbrechen (de)
• Italian: evadere (it)
• Japanese: 脱出する (ja) (だっしゅつする, dasshutsu suru)

• Latin: ērumpō
• Latvian: izlauzties
• Russian: сбега́ть (ru) impf (sbegátʹ), сбежа́ть (ru) pf (sbežátʹ), вырыва́ться (ru) impf (vyryvátʹsja), вы́рваться (ru) pf (výrvatʹsja), прорыва́ться (ru) impf (proryvátʹsja), прорва́ться (ru) pf (prorvátʹsja)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: bryta sig ut, rymma (sv)
• Ukrainian: втікти́ (vtiktý)

to bring out, use, or present

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: ottaa esiin
• French: montrer (fr)

• German: hervorholen
• Russian: достать (ru) (dostatʹ)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

to separate from a bundle

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: hajottaa (fi), purkaa (fi)
• French: isoler (fr)

• German: herauslösen, absondern (de)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

to take or force out by breaking

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: särkeä (fi)
• French: briser (fr)

• German: herausbrechen
• Russian: выла́мывать (ru) impf (vylámyvatʹ), вы́ломать (ru) pf (výlomatʹ), выбива́ть (ru) impf (vybivátʹ), вы́бить (ru) pf (výbitʹ)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

to begin suddenly; to emerge in a certain condition

• Arabic: اِنْدَلَعَ‎ (indalaʿa)
• Azerbaijani: qopmaq
• Catalan: esclatar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 爆發 (zh), 爆发 (zh) (bàofā), 勃發 (zh), 勃发 (zh) (bófā)

• Finnish: puhjeta (fi), syttyä (fi)
• French: survenir (fr)
• German: ausbrechen (de)

• Japanese: 勃発する (ja) (ぼっぱつする, boppatsu suru)
• Korean: 발발하다 (ko) (balbalhada)
• Russian: разгора́ться (ru) impf (razgorátʹsja), разгоре́ться (ru) pf (razgorétʹsja), разража́ться (ru) impf (razražátʹsja), разрази́ться (ru) pf (razrazítʹsja), вспы́хивать (ru) impf (vspýxivatʹ), вспы́хнуть (ru) pf (vspýxnutʹ)
• Spanish: estallar (es)
• Swedish: utbryta (sv)
• Ukrainian: спала́хувати (spaláxuvaty)

See also

• break down
• break in
• breakout
• break-out

Anagrams

• kabouter, outbrake, outbreak