break out — start suddenly
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
To begin quickly and unexpectedly, especially something bad like a fire, war, or disease.
Say it like a native
Textbook A fire suddenly started in the kitchen during the night.
Native A fire broke out in the kitchen overnight.
'Break out' is the standard verb for fires, wars and disease starting suddenly; the paraphrase is wordy.
Pattern: break out (no object)
In use
- A fire broke out in the kitchen while we were having dinner.daily life
- If a disease breaks out in a city, the government needs to act quickly to control it.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ A fire broke out of the kitchen.
✓ A fire broke out in the kitchen.
'Break out' = suddenly start (use 'in'); 'break out OF' means escape.
Common collocations
break out (fire/war/disease)— a fire, war, fighting, a riot
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'break up' (to end something) or 'break down' (to stop working).
Related
- break out (escape) — Another meaning of 'break out' is 'escape'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.