outbreak

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An outbreak is when many people get sick at the same time due to an illness or disease. It can also mean a sudden and violent event.

Outbreaks are often what happen when there's a flu epidemic, but they can be caused by other things like food poisoning or even animal diseases. When it comes to events, an outbreak is similar to a riot - it's a sudden explosion of strong emotions or actions that gets out of control quickly.

How common is "outbreak"?

Word outbreak is considered uncommon in modern English.
It appears most frequently in academic texts and less often in other writings.
Definitions

noun

  • An eruption; the sudden appearance of a rash, disease, etc.

    Example: Any epidemic outbreak causes understandable panic.

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Real examples of "outbreak" in context

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