Break out meaning
Break out means to start suddenly, used for fires, fights, wars and diseases. It can also mean to escape from a prison or another place.
break out
break out · broke · broken · breaking
A fire broke out in the kitchen of a hotel last night.
Break out meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Start suddenly, used for fires, fights, wars and diseases
break out
- A fire broke out in the kitchen of a hotel last night.
- A fight broke out between two fans after the match.
- Has flu broken out at your school too?
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2
Escape from a prison or another place
break out
- Three men broke out of the prison through a tunnel.
- Our dog broke out of the garden again.
- Nobody has ever broken out of that jail.
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3
Suddenly get spots or sweat on your skin
break out
- I break out in spots when I eat too much chocolate.
- He broke out in a cold sweat when he saw the bill.
- My skin breaks out whenever I’m stressed.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use break out in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is break out separable?
Break out has no object. The thing that starts comes first: A fire broke out. To say where someone escapes from, add of: break out of prison.
For skin, say break out in: break out in spots, break out in a rash. The noun outbreak puts the particle first: an outbreak of flu.
Verb tenses for break out
| Present | I break out · she breaks out |
|---|---|
| Past | broke out |
| Present perfect | have broken out |
| -ing form | breaking out |
Common mistakes with break out
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: The prisoner broke out the prison.
Right: The prisoner broke out of the prison.
Use of before the place you escape from.
Wrong: I broke out with spots before my exam.
Right: I broke out in spots before my exam.
For skin, the pattern is break out in.
Wrong: The war was broken out in 1939.
Right: The war broke out in 1939.
Break out has no object, so it cannot be passive.
Synonyms and opposites of break out
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- startgeneral word; break out adds that it was sudden and unwanted
- escapethe one-word verb for getting out of a prison
- break inenter a building by force; break out is getting out
Opposite
- die downbecome weaker, for a fire, storm or noise
- put outstop a fire burning
Break out quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1Everyone left the cinema when a fire ___ upstairs.
A fire breaks out when it starts suddenly.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Use break out of + place.
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3“Before every exam I break out in spots.” What happens to the speaker?
Break out in spots means spots suddenly appear on your skin.
More phrasal verbs with break
5 phrasal verbs start with break. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
Break out FAQ
Questions people ask about break out.
What is the difference between break out and outbreak?
Break out is the verb: Measles broke out in the town. Outbreak is the noun: an outbreak of measles.
Is break out used for good things?
Mostly no. It is for sudden bad things like war, fire, fights or disease. For happy things, people say burst out: The room burst out laughing.
What is a breakout?
As a noun, a breakout is an escape, usually from prison. In online meetings, a breakout room is a small group that meets apart from the main call.
Use break out in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.