outbreak

outbreak — noun

1. a sudden start and quick spread of something harmful, especially disease, violen

1.名詞C2
釋義

a sudden start and quick spread of something harmful, especially disease, violence, fire, or insects.

例句

The village school closed after an outbreak of flu.

outbreak of + disease

There was an outbreak of fighting near the border town.

there was an outbreak of + violence

同義詞
  • epidemic

    narrower and mainly used for disease affecting many people in an area

  • onset

    more formal and focused on the beginning rather than the spread

  • flare-up

    often suggests a sudden burst or return, especially of violence or trouble

反義詞
  • containment

    control that stops the spread of the problem

  • recovery

    return to a healthy or safe state after the outbreak

文法句型

an outbreak of + disease/violence/fire/insects

during an outbreak

trace an outbreak to + source

用法筆記

Usually followed by 'of' plus a disease, a violent event, fire, or harmful insects, and it often suggests that the problem is spreading through an area. Distinguish from 'onset': 'outbreak' points to visible spread or many cases, not just the first moment something begins.

常見錯誤

❌We celebrated the outbreak of summer vacation.
✅We celebrated the start of summer vacation.
💡'outbreak' is used for harmful or unwanted events, not pleasant planned ones.
❌An outbreak happened flu in the town.
✅An outbreak of flu happened in the town.
💡this noun usually takes 'of' before the disease or problem.