outbreak

Everyday

1. An outbreak is the sudden start of something bad, such as a disease, a war or violence. tree →
2. An outbreak of a disease is when many people suddenly catch it in one place. tree →

In the lessons

In health and science lessons it is used about illnesses spreading (an outbreak of flu, of chickenpox, of food poisoning). In history it marks the start of a war. In safety it tells you to wash hands and stay home when sick. Phrases: «the outbreak of war», «an outbreak of measles», «a fire outbreak».

Examples

• There was an outbreak of chickenpox at school. tree →
• Wash your hands to stop an outbreak spreading. tree →
• The outbreak of war changed the family's life. tree →
• An outbreak of food poisoning closed the café. tree →
• Doctors worked hard during the outbreak. tree →
• The weather forecast warned of an outbreak of thunderstorms. tree →
• Head lice outbreaks are common in schools. tree →
• Many people stayed home during the flu outbreak. tree →

Note

Countable: outbreaks. Stress on OUT-. Phrasal verb «break out» (war broke out) is the related verb. In maths problems about outbreaks, numbers often grow fast, like doubling.