Meaning & use
eruption
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
A sudden, violent burst of lava, ash, or gas from a volcano.
Grammar: Countable: an eruption, several eruptions. Often used with 'of'.
Patterns
- a volcanic eruption
- an eruption of something
- the eruption of a volcano
The eruption sent ash high into the sky.
Thousands of people left the island after the eruption.
Scientists recorded a small eruption early this morning.
nouncountable
A sudden start of something unpleasant, such as violence, disease, or protest.
Grammar: Countable and often followed by 'of': an eruption of violence.
Patterns
- an eruption of violence
- an eruption of disease
- a sudden eruption of something
The city saw an eruption of violence after the trial.
An eruption of flu cases filled the hospital.
There was an eruption of anger across the country.
nouncountablemedical
A red, painful area that suddenly appears on the skin.
Grammar: Countable; common in medical contexts: a skin eruption.
Patterns
- a skin eruption
- an eruption on the skin
- a painful eruption
The doctor noticed a red eruption on his arm.
This medicine can cause a mild skin eruption.
The rash was diagnosed as a viral eruption.
nouncountable
A sudden, loud outburst of emotion or sound.
Grammar: Countable and often followed by 'of': an eruption of laughter.
Patterns
- an eruption of laughter
- an eruption of emotion
- an eruption of applause
Her speech ended in an eruption of applause.
He could not hide an eruption of laughter.
The room was filled with an eruption of cheers.
Word forms
| plural | eruptions |
|---|
Common combinations
- volcanic eruption
- The volcanic eruption destroyed several villages.
- a major eruption
- A major eruption could affect flights across Europe.
- an eruption of violence
- The peace deal ended an eruption of violence in the region.
- skin eruption
- A skin eruption appeared a few days after the injection.
- an eruption of laughter
- His joke caused an eruption of laughter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outburst
- Outburst is usually about a sudden show of emotion or words, not lava or disease.
- explosion
- Explosion is a more general word for something bursting apart, often with a loud noise; eruption is mainly for volcanoes and sudden outbreaks.
- outbreak
- Outbreak is used for disease or war and sounds more neutral than eruption, which suggests force.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: eruption or irruption? eruption or corruption?
eruption vs irruption
Irruption is a rare word for a sudden breaking in, while eruption is a bursting out.
eruption vs corruption
Corruption means dishonest behavior by people in power; it sounds similar but has a completely different meaning.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses eruption correctly.
Choose one answer.
Eruption is a noun for a sudden burst, especially from a volcano, so option A fits. B misuses it for money; C uses it as a verb; D treats it as a person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “eruption”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.