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 The cause of their displeasure has to do with scenes woven throughout that illustrate how Baldwin got his reputation for angry outbursts – confrontations with paparazzi through the years, for instance. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026 As a result, military children and teenagers may experience social withdrawal, angry outbursts and mental health problems, including depression and anxiety. — Nikki R Wooten, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026 Michael Douglas was subject to violent and angry outbursts as well. — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 There was no notice to staff that swings in blood sugar levels can cause the kind of emotional distress and behavioral outbursts that got Christian in trouble. — Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026 Foreigners have also experienced sporadic outbursts of xenophobic violence. — ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026 But her mental instability was becoming increasingly apparent, leading to outbursts at work and home. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026 If the lighting is controlled, the performances restrained (with room for outbursts, of course), and the score swelling at the right moments, the work will register as important. — Henry Metz, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026 The Arkansas native is not prone to fiery speeches or outbursts. — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outbursts
  1. bursts
  2. flurries
  3. eruptions
  4. explosions
  5. outbreaks
  6. flashes
  7. spurts
  8. gusts
Noun
  • Cue the lovelorn weeping in the rain set to composer Roger Goula’s supple string score, and before us, a sweeping love epic bursts alive with real pain.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The machine generated about a dozen or so graphs, marked by human figures and bursts of colors that denoted energy fields, broken down by organ—and even tooth.
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of bursts
Noun
  • And a colleague spotted on a webcam video what appeared to be flurries at Beech Mountain Saturday morning.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The flurries of pigment inside them were dispersed by bursts of air delivered through the base of the box.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of flurries
Noun
  • Xu Fu and Ma Junsheng also play surrogate dads to Seif, whose increasingly violent eruptions threaten to change the course of his life more than once.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
  • As of last month, 52 additional fountain eruptions had occurred, the most violent of which spewed lava over 400 meters into the air.
    — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of eruptions
Noun
  • The explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was Russia's main natural gas supply route to Germany until Moscow cut off supplies in August 2022.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Russia’s ballistic missiles can reach Kyiv in just minutes, leaving little time to respond; in some recent attacks, air raid sirens sounded at the same time as the first explosions.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of explosions
Noun
  • The outbreak has surpassed Congo's 16 previous outbreaks in scale and is on track to top the 2014-2016 West Africa regional outbreak that killed 11,000 people.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Over the past two years, nine states have experienced outbreaks that regulators have linked to raw dairy.
    — Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of outbreaks
Noun
  • Fault currents, which can fry components and cause dangerous arc flashes, are one challenge, requiring new protection measures and solid-state circuit breakers.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The Panthers have shown flashes of their potential this season, but consistency on both sides of the ball will be critical to winning close games.
    — Alejandro Hernandez, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of flashes
Noun
  • The highly concentrated Cleaning Solution uses 100% natural ingredients – just two spurts are enough for a top-to-bottom clean.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • In the past, policymakers have been willing to look through inflation spurts from temporary shocks like high energy prices and tariffs.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of spurts
Noun
  • South winds will increase to around 15–20 mph, with occasional higher gusts.
    — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Between Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon, large swaths of Southern California will see sustained winds of 20 to 40 mph and gusts from 40 to 60 mph, according to Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
    — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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