Uitbreken

Uitbreken is a Dutch verb that generally denotes the act of breaking out, erupting, or escaping from a confined space or situation. In its literal sense, it is used for physical phenomena such as a fire or a disease breaking out: “De brand is uitgebroken in het magazijn” or “De griep is uitgebroken onder de vluchtelingen”. In medical contexts it refers to the sudden appearance of symptoms, for example a rash or a pimple: “Hij heeft een puist die net is uitgebroken”.

The term is also employed metaphorically in sociopolitical discourse to describe the onset of unrest, riots, or movements: “Tijdens de protesten is geweld uitgebroken”. In zoology, especially entomology, it describes insects emerging from pupae or cocoons: “De vlinders zijn uitgebroken na de winter”.

Etymologically, “uitbreken” combines the prefix “uit‑” (out) with the verb “breken” (to break). The construction follows a pattern in Dutch where the prefix modifies the base verb to indicate direction or completion. The past participle is “uitgebroken”, and the noun form is “uitbraak”, referring to an instance of a breakout, often used in epidemiology to denote an outbreak of disease.

In everyday language, “uitbreken” can also mean to go away on a trip or to run away, especially in colloquial speech describing a rebellious departure: “Hij is uitgebroken naar de stad”. The verb is regular in conjugation and appears across many registers, from formal reports to informal conversation, reflecting its versatile role in describing sudden emergences or escapes.