Etymologically
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breakout

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 11:43. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˈbreɪkaʊt/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English break + out, as a noun use of the phrasal verb break out.[2][3][4][5] The OED describes it as a conversion of the verb phrase.[2] The verbal phrase itself goes back to Old English ūtābrecan.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

An outbreak, as of hostilities or disease: 1746, in Meadowcourt's Rise and Progress of the Papal Power.[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date the noun to 1820, in the sense of an act of issuing or bursting out,[5][6] and Dictionary.com to 1810–20.[4]

Semantic evolution

The OED's revised entry (2024) moves the first record back to 1746, for an outbreak of hostilities or disease.[2] The sense of breaking through a barrier, especially a military offensive that breaks through a defensive line, is recorded from 1799, and a forcible escape from prison from 1839, in a Sydney newspaper.[2] Walter Scott used it in 1820 for a noisy, violent disturbance, a fracas,[2] and in Australia and New Zealand it meant a bout of heavy drinking from 1847 to 1923.[2] An outbreak of acne or another skin complaint is recorded from 1897.[2] Later technical senses include a sudden attack by a defending team in rugby or hockey (1900), a stock price breaking above a resistance level or below a support level (1932) and the splintering of the edge of wood or stone as it is cut (1961).[2] The adjective, for a sudden, unexpected success, began in the American entertainment industry in 1947;[2] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1960,[6] and the Collegiate to 1978.[7] From 1964 it also described a smaller group or session that splits off from a main conference.[2][3]

Timeline

  • 1746 – an outbreak of hostilities, disease and the like.[2]
  • 1799 – a breaking through a barrier, especially a military breakthrough.[2]
  • 1820 – a noisy, violent disturbance, in Walter Scott's The Abbot.[2]
  • 1839 – an escape from prison.[2]
  • 1847 – in Australia and New Zealand, a drinking bout (obsolete by 1923).[2]
  • 1897 – an outbreak of acne or another skin disease.[2]
  • 1932 – on the stock market, a sharp move of a price beyond a resistance or support level.[2]
  • 1947 – adjective, producing sudden, unexpected success.[2]
  • 1964 – adjective, of a smaller group or session split off from a conference.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A forceful escape from confinement, especially from a prison: Three inmates took part in the breakout.[3][2][6]
  2. A forceful breaking out from a restraining situation, especially a military attack that breaks through or out of enemy lines.[6][7][2]
  3. An outbreak of something, as of acne or a disease.[2][3]
  4. A detailed breakdown of statistical data into its parts.[8][6]
  5. A small meeting or session split off from a larger conference.[6][2]
  6. On the stock market, a sharp move of a price above a resistance level or below a support level.[2]
  7. In well drilling, the removing and disconnecting of pipes, rods or casings.[6]

Adjective

  1. Bringing sudden or striking success, especially after earlier, lesser efforts: her breakout novel.[6][7][2][3]
  2. Of a group, session or room that splits off from a main conference for discussion.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 27 Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin