e ‧ rupt /ɪˈrʌpt/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of erumpere 'to burst out' ]
1 . if fighting, violence, noise etc erupts, it starts suddenly SYN break out :
Violence erupted after police shot a student during the demonstration.
A political row erupted over the MP’s comments.
2 . if a ↑ volcano erupts, it explodes and sends smoke, fire, and rock into the sky
3 . if a place or situation erupts, there is a sudden increase in activity or emotion
erupt into
They were angry to the point of erupting into riot.
Their conversations often erupted into squabbles.
4 . erupt into laughter/shouting etc to suddenly start laughing, shouting etc:
He erupted into loud, desperate sobs.
5 . if spots erupt on your body, they suddenly appear on your skin
—eruption /ɪˈrʌpʃ ə n/ noun [uncountable and countable] :
a volcanic eruption
the eruption of violence
• • •
THESAURUS
■ to explode
▪ explode verb [intransitive] if a bomb explodes, it bursts suddenly and violently with a loud noise:
A bomb exploded in a crowded metro station this morning, killing five people.
▪ go off phrasal verb if a bomb goes off, it explodes. Go off is less formal than explode and is the usual phrase to use in everyday English:
Luckily the station was empty when the bomb went off.
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As many as ten bombs went off across the city, most of them car bombs.
▪ blow up phrasal verb if a building, car, plane etc blows up, it bursts suddenly and violently into pieces, causing a lot of damage:
The plane blew up in mid-air, killing all the passengers and crew.
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In early 1986, a US space shuttle blew up shortly after launch.
▪ erupt /ɪˈrʌpt/ verb [intransitive] if a ↑ volcano erupts, it explodes and sends smoke and rock into the sky:
The volcano has erupted at least fifteen times since 1883.
▪ burst verb [intransitive] if something that has air or liquid inside it bursts, it explodes and the air or liquid comes out:
One of the water pipes had burst.
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The plane caught fire after its tyre burst on landing.