bouts

noun

plural of bout
1
as in tournaments
a competitive encounter between individuals or groups carried on for amusement, exercise, or in pursuit of a prize undoubtedly the team's best wrestler, he hasn't lost a bout yet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in seizures
a sudden experiencing of a physical or mental disorder she's currently suffering from a bout of the flu

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bouts During earlier bouts of market volatility, Roeslani emphasized that recent sharp pullbacks should be viewed as strategic long term buying opportunities. — CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 Forecasters are warning South Florida residents that numerous cities will be drenched in rainfall that may lead to bouts of flash flooding and some thunderstorms Saturday night. — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026 Yet his next leadership election is looking smooth compared with the past couple of bouts to lead the Senate GOP. — semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Videos of the bouts have combined for more than 10 million views on YouTube. — Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 The Vegas residency was originally scheduled to begin last February but was repeatedly postponed as the singer battled the cancer and previous bouts of bronchitis. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026 But the majority of the country’s stormwater infrastructure was not built for heavier bouts of rain brought by a warming climate — and now experts are warning the ongoing super El Niño will further expose those risks across the nation. — Erin Douglas, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026 But while her lids boasted bouts of shadow, her skin was kept bare. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026 Return to record highs It’s been a choppy ride to all-time highs, but the S&P 500 has nonetheless rebounded and climbed, boosted by resurgent bouts of AI optimism, robust corporate earnings and a resilient US economic backdrop. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bouts
  1. tournaments
  2. seizures
  3. events
  4. attacks
  5. games
  6. cases
  7. competitions
  8. spells
Noun
  • Over time, the company has aggregated a combination of destinations, tournaments, leagues and camps, illustrating how physical facilities can anchor a broader participation business rather than function simply as real-estate assets.
    — Chris Russo, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Five tournaments remain for players to finish in the top 100 and keep full status for 2027.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of tournaments
Noun
  • Another drug recommended in the new guideline is gabapentin, an anticonvulsant typically used to treat seizures.
    — Shannon Firth, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Despite warnings and seizures by European food and health authorities, the product was still being sold online at the end of the study period.
    — Andrew Yockey, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of seizures
Noun
  • The district would install gates on its drives that could be opened or closed as needed during events and school hours.
    — Randy Moll, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The local police department is conducting a criminal investigation into the events leading up to the collision and the actions of those involved, Kinnan said Wednesday.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of events
Noun
  • On three separate occasions in the past week, Ukraine didn’t receive early warnings about missile attacks.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The wide availability of low-cost, powerful open models is one reason Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned that open models in particular pose a risk of widespread and potentially devastating cyber attacks.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of attacks
Noun
  • The Kings won for the third time in their last four games — all on the road — after going winless over their first six games of the season.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • By running her streak to six consecutive games with at least three blocks, Stokes matched the WNBA postseason record set by Lisa Leslie in 2003.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of games
Noun
  • As of Thursday morning, the government had filed charging documents in 10 of the 28 cases, offering additional details about how authorities relied on voter registration data to pursue broader criminal charges around immigration status.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Trials in four other cases in which Sorrells’ predecessor, Sharen Wilson, decided to seek the death penalty, have occurred during Sorrells term.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of cases
Noun
  • Victory extended Villa’s outstanding recent run to six wins from seven games in all competitions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Factor in other domestic competitions, and Belenenses has seven trophies in total, which is tied for the fifth-most in the nation.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of competitions
Noun
  • Some people are even gravitating toward religious organizations and turning to mystical practices like psychics and love spells to find a partner.
    — Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Their 2-4 record will meet with Dallas’ next Monday night in a game that all of a sudden spells absolute disaster for the losing team.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of spells

Browse Nearby Words

boutonnieres
bouts
bovine
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bouts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bouts. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All