Other forms: outbursts
An outburst is a sudden violent release of feeling. An angry outburst, an emotional outburst, sudden outbursts.
It is almost always about anger or tears and almost always regretted: an outburst is what happens when something held back stops being held. It is used in reports of meetings and of courtrooms. It also describes a sudden burst of anything — an outburst of laughter, an outburst of activity. Note that the verb outburst existed in Middle English and has quietly died, leaving only the noun.
1nounoutburstA sudden violent release of feeling.
“Her sudden outburst of anger shocked everyone at the dinner table.”
2nounburstA sudden burst of any activity.
“The joke was followed by an outburst of laughter from the back of the room.”
outburst is a sudden release.
Middle English outbersten is out plus burst, and Dutch uitbarsten and German ausbersten are built the same way. English kept the noun and dropped the verb.
Middle English
outbersten
English, today
outburst
Middle English outbersten, outbresten. Cognate with Dutch uitbarsten (“to erupt; burst out”), German ausbersten (“to burst out; erupt”). by surface analysis, en + out + burst.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Word Building