German word

Ausbruch

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈaʊ̯sˌbʁʊx/

Meaning

  • masculine nounoutbreak

Example

In unserer Schule gab es letzten Monat einen Ausbruch der Grippe.

There was an outbreak of flu at our school last month.

Illustration for Ausbruch (outbreak)

More examples

Plötzlich kam es zu einem Ausbruch von Gelächter im Meeting.

Suddenly, there was a burst of laughter in the meeting.

Core concept

A sealed interior suddenly breaks open and sends something outward.

Common phrases

  • ein Ausbruch von Gelächter

    a burst of laughter

  • ein Ausbruch heftiger Gefühle

    an outburst of intense emotions

  • der Ausbruch der Panik

    the outbreak of panic

Similar words

Epidemie: Rapid disease spread affecting many people in a particular area or group.
Seuche: A severe infectious disease spreading across a wide area and affecting many people.
Pandemie: The worldwide spread of a disease across many countries or regions at once.

Definition in German

Plötzliches, meist heftiges Hervortreten aus dem Inneren, zum Beispiel Krankheit, Zorn oder Lava.

Word origin

Ausbruch is formed from ausbrechen, combining aus- ('out') with Bruch ('break') from brechen.

Usage tips

  • The masculine noun is der Ausbruch, and its plural is die Ausbrüche, with an umlaut in the plural.

Other meanings

  • outburstnoun
  • escapenoun
  • eruptionnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • Ausbrecherescapeenoun
  • Ausbruchsherdsource of an outbreaknoun

Word lists with this word