From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbreak out phrasal verb1 WAR/FIRE ETCSTART TO HAPPEN, EXIST ETCif something unpleasant such as a fire, fight, or war breaks out, it starts to happen I was still living in London when the war broke out. Does everyone know what to do if a fire breaks out? Fighting broke out between demonstrators and the police. → outbreak2 ESCAPEESCAPEto escape from a prison of Three men have broken out of a top-security jail. → breakout3 CHANGE YOUR LIFECHANGE/MAKE something DIFFERENTto change the way you live because you feel bored of She felt the need to break out of her daily routine.4 break out in spots/a rash/a sweat etcILLNESS/DISEASE if you break out in spots etc, they appear on your skin I broke out in a painful rash. My whole body broke out in a sweat. → break→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
break out• The day I arrived in Texas, the war broke out.• But it was in the evenings that the worst fights broke out.• For one thing, they planned for a riot and a wedding party broke out.• Late last night, fighting broke out between gangs of rival football fans.• The consortium is breaking out education, customer support, computer facilities, corporate communications and sales.• When war broke out he had to endure four months' internment as an enemy alien.• Over £20,000 worth of damage was caused when a fire broke out in the cellar.• Would you know what to do if a fire broke out in your school?• These steps demonstrate a political will by Barak to break out of stalemate.• A fire broke out on the top floor of the building.• Most people would jump with joy to hear of the mortgage war that broke out this week between Nationwide and Halifax.• By late afternoon, a full-scale battle had broken out with rockets and grenades exploding regularly and bullets thudding into the walls.break of• He was going to break out of here.• To break out of its solitude, it has had to make frequent and conscious efforts.• It broke out of its tea-party and caste-system mold on Saturday, rewarding hunger and perseverance, as well as graceful artistry.• They were caught trying to break out of jail.• These steps demonstrate a political will by Barak to break out of stalemate.• In Britain we know what happens when new groups try to break out of the box.• Moreover, they have seen that it is possible to break out of the capitalist system and go forward.• Martha was planning to break out of the ghetto of poetry.• Then they break out of this immobility into a frenzy of activity.break of• He was going to break out of here.• To break out of its solitude, it has had to make frequent and conscious efforts.• It broke out of its tea-party and caste-system mold on Saturday, rewarding hunger and perseverance, as well as graceful artistry.• These steps demonstrate a political will by Barak to break out of stalemate.• In Britain we know what happens when new groups try to break out of the box.• Moreover, they have seen that it is possible to break out of the capitalist system and go forward.• Martha was planning to break out of the ghetto of poetry.• Then they break out of this immobility into a frenzy of activity. 