outbreak
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the sudden start of a disease in a particular place.
the sudden occurrence of a disease or medical condition within a specific population or geographic area.
Simple“The school closed for a week due to an outbreak of the flu.”
In context“Health officials worked tirelessly to contain the cholera outbreak before it could spread to the neighbouring provinces.”
UsageOften followed by the preposition 'of' and the name of the illness.
- 02 C1 Advanced
the sudden start of fighting, war, or social trouble.
the sudden commencement of conflict, violence, or civil unrest.
Simple“The outbreak of war in the region forced many families to leave their homes.”
In context“Diplomats struggled to maintain peace, but the sudden outbreak of hostilities at the border made further negotiations impossible.”
UsageFrequently used with 'of' followed by a noun like 'violence', 'war', or 'hostilities'.
Teacher's tipWhile 'start' is common for general events, 'outbreak' is reserved for negative or destructive events.
Antonyms
Usage outbreak in the eastern · outbreak worsening · outbreak caused
“DR Congo's Ebola outbreak has spread to a sixth province after a death was recorded in the previously unaffected Bas-Uele province.”
“Last year's funding cuts to federal agencies that oversee foodborne illness outbreaks are being tested with the record cyclosporiasis outbreak in the U.S.”
From Middle English outbreken, oute-breken, from Old English ūtābrecan (“to break out”), equivalent to out- + break. Cognate with Saterland Frisian uutbreeke (“to break out, burst out”), West Frisian útbrekke (“to break out”), Dutch uitbreken (“to break out, burst out”), German ausbrechen (“to break out, erupt”). The noun is cognate with Saterland Frisian Uutbreek (“outbreak”), West Frisian útbrek (“outbreak”), Dutch uitbraak (“outbreak”), and German Ausbruch (“outbreak”), and is comparable to Danish udbrud (“outbreak”), Faroese and Icelandic útbrot (“rash”), Norwegian utbrudd (“outbreak”), and Swedish utbrott (“outbreak”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.