Meanings
present singular third person bursts out · participle present bursting out
- intransitiveliterallyTo appear suddenly from within something else.
Shouts and screams burst out from the television's speakers
2001, Matthew Reilly, Temple1 more example
They began scurrying to the sides, to make way for the rogue galaxy of bodies that had just burst out of the courtroom
2008, Tom Wolfe, Bonfire of the Vanities - intransitiveTo display sudden powerful emotion.
My parents exchanged amused glances and burst out laughing.
1993, Leslie Feinberg, Stone butch blues - intransitiveTo speak emotionally or suddenly
As soon as the woman's back was turned, Joe burst out, "There, there! see what you've done with your damned foolishness."
2007, Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Sport of the Gods
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Analytic form of the earlier outburst.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish purskahtaa, syöksähtää
- purskahtaato appear suddenly from within something else
- syöksähtääto appear suddenly from within something else
- ryöpsähtääto appear suddenly from within something else
German hervorbrechen, herausbrechen
- hervorbrechento appear suddenly from within something else
- herausbrechento appear suddenly from within something else
Irish scread
- screadto speak emotionally or suddenly
Latin ērumpō
- ērumpōto appear suddenly from within something else
Polish wyskakiwać, wyskoczyć
- wyskakiwaćto appear suddenly from within something else
- wyskoczyćto appear suddenly from within something else
- wybiegaćto appear suddenly from within something else
- wybiecto appear suddenly from within something else
- wyłaniać sięto appear suddenly from within something else
- wyłonić sięto appear suddenly from within something else
- wybuchaćto speak emotionally or suddenly
- wybuchnąćto speak emotionally or suddenly
Romanian izbucni
- izbucnito appear suddenly from within something else
Spanish prorrumpir, prorrumpir
- prorrumpirto appear suddenly from within something else
- prorrumpirto speak emotionally or suddenly
Welsh taro allan
- taro allanto speak emotionally or suddenly
Cite this entry
burst out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burst%20out
“burst out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burst%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “burst out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burst%20out.
Source: burst out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.