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 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 The couple hires Caleb as a lookout and braves his sullen outbursts, learning more about the lonely, angry youth as the murders draw nearer. — Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026 Earlier this year, West took an ad out in the Wall Street Journal to apologize for his antisemitic outbursts and claimed they were caused by manic episodes. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 5 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
  • But more appealing to me were the smaller bursts of creativity.
    — Tony Perrottet, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Nobody is more confident working with the Kings than Colter, whose swagger and comfort with bursts of goofiness are well-deployed, albeit with less emotional range in the early-going.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of bursts
Noun
  • 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
  • Macaday said some higher elevations in California have already seen flurries over the past month and a half.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of flurries
Noun
  • If the incoming eruptions interact favorably with Earth's magnetic field, auroras could potentially reach much farther south than currently anticipated.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Volcanologists could use the technology to map internal magma chambers and lava tubes to help predict eruptions.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of eruptions
Noun
  • The shoot involved firing blanks and igniting explosions, theatrics that shocked the film’s residential neighbors and spurred concerns over public safety.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • As the car drives on while dodging a series of explosions, a seemingly endless number of terrorists armed with automatic weapons shoot at it to no avail.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of explosions
Noun
  • Since the beginning of last year, large outbreaks have been reported in several states, including Texas and Utah, as well as South Carolina, which had been the largest with 997 cases reported.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • What readers are saying The conversation explores the impact of political and personal beliefs on public health, particularly in relation to measles outbreaks.
    — Leana Wen, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of outbreaks
Noun
  • In the opening five league games under MacPhee, there have been flashes of the creative attacking routines that distinguished his best work at Villa.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Tampa Bay’s offense has shown flashes, despite the struggles of quarterback Baker Mayfield, who’s now injured and out, so rookie Jalon Daniels will make his first NFL start.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 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
  • On Friday, high temperatures across northern California will start to dip into the 90s and 80s as the evening breeze roars in with gusts above 20 mph and higher at elevation, and sit comfortably in the 70s at most by Saturday and Sunday.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Just four minutes before clearing the plane for landing, an air traffic controller had provided a wind advisory to a different flight, noting gusts of up to 25 mph (40 kph) from the south.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 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 9 Oct. 2026.

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