outbursts

noun

plural of outburst
1
as in bursts
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling the judge directed the courtroom spectators to refrain from any outbursts when the verdict was read

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in flurries
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity there was a remarkable outburst of work in the office as the visiting VIPs made their tour

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in eruptions
the act or an instance of exploding in the outburst known as a supernova, the star may reach an intrinsic luminosity one billion times that of the sun

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of outbursts He was accused of two other antisemitic outbursts and was eventually convicted in France on hate-speech charges. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026 The 36-year-old Hubble is also dropping in orbit because of all the sun's recent outbursts and is expected to reenter the atmosphere in the 2030s if nothing is done. — CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 Even if fighting does not intensify, will continuing sporadic outbursts blocking shipping through the Strait of Hormuz eventually pass through into a true global recession? — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 16 Aug. 2026 The outbursts helped relieve some pressure, but Nakashima tightened up as the prospect of making his first Masters 1000 final neared. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026 His wife, Liz (Evan Rachel Wood), is a sneak preview of Debbie’s future, self-medicating with drugs, alcohol, and wrathful outbursts. — Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2026 Shortly before, O’Hare had kicked out two individuals for outbursts. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Aug. 2026 He was ousted from Dior and his namesake fashion house in 2011 following racist and antisemitic outbursts at a Paris bar. — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 31 July 2026 The difference is Clark spent years stepping into controversy, from race-baiting segments to public feuds and on-air outbursts that repeatedly put him in the headlines. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbursts
  1. bursts
  2. flurries
  3. eruptions
  4. explosions
  5. outbreaks
  6. flashes
  7. spurts
  8. gusts
Noun
  • Back at Camp Cranium, bursts of laughter, whoops of delight and distant chatter punctuated the humid summer air.
    — Lydia McFarlane, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026
  • To achieve this, the locus coeruleus continuously alternates between tonic activity—governing baseline arousal and alertness—and brief phasic bursts that focus attention on critical events.
    — Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of bursts
Noun
  • Our arrival in the Madawaska River country of eastern Ontario, near Combermere, was noteworthy only for the snow flurries and marrow-chilling gales that howled down from Hudson Bay to greet us.
    — HARRY H. EDEL, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The past 14 years have included some flurries of diplomatic contact between Iran and the West.
    — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
Definition of flurries
Noun
  • Mann said that the study doesn't have a complete record of corals over the past 1,000 years, and also that his research has shown that volcanic eruptions have played more of a role than climate change in past El Niño events.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Sonic booms, volcanic eruptions and meteor airbursts can produce similar atmospheric shock waves, potentially creating other natural seismic sources.
    — Nolan Roth, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of eruptions
Noun
  • The explosions provide different interruptions, punctuating the moment as one of Keeley’s ideas plays out in real time.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Over the course of its five-year mission, the Roman telescope will capture images of the Milky Way, survey the entire sky and observe supernova explosions that occurred as far as 8 billion years ago.
    — Josh Feldman, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of explosions
Noun
  • Most of these cases will occur in Africa and Asia, but many countries in the Americas and Europe are reporting outbreaks affecting hundreds or thousands of people.
    — Washington Post, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Over the past decade, its forest carbon sink weakened by about 27 percent as harvesting, ageing stands, drought, heat, wildfire and insect outbreaks reduced forest resilience.
    — Kari Stoever, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of outbreaks
Noun
  • For some, fall fashion starts with color, working in warm browns and flashes of crimson red or shaking typical neutrals up with pops of cobalt blue.
    — Minty Mellon, Vogue, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Iridescent flashes and gold gemstones emulate deep-sea treasures.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of flashes
Noun
  • The Panthers’ defense bounced back, though, in spurts — that included a safety Nick Scott interception on quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Rookies will tease, and then disappoint, and some units will look good in spurts, and others will struggle.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of spurts
Noun
  • The region was under a thunderstorm alert at the time and wind gusts exceeding 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) were recorded at a nearby meteorological station.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The region was under a thunderstorm alert at the time of the tornado, with wind gusts exceeding 60 miles per hour recorded at a nearby meteorological station.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of gusts

Browse Nearby Words

outburst
outbursts
outcast
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Cite this Entry

“Outbursts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outbursts. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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