Learn English – “He broke out in a grin”

phrase-meaningphrase-usage

Her face broke out in a grin as she nodded, her ponytail swinging. (source)

Lee broke out in a grin and went on. (source)

Wondering what the jocularity was about, Matsuzaka finally noticed the bubble as it fell off his hat and he broke out in a grin. (source)

I have seen "break out in a grin" in several places. The closest entry in dictionaries is

(of a person or a part of their body) be suddenly affected by an unpleasant sensation or condition.
"something had caused him to break out in a rash"

My understanding is "He broke out in a grin" means something like "His face broke into a grin". Is that correct? Besides "grin", what are some other words that can be used in this expression?

Best Answer

The meaning is explained by this definition of the phrasal verb 'break into' from M-WD.

break into

1 : to begin with or as if with a sudden throwing off of restraint

Examples. broke into tears; face breaking into a smile; the horse breaks into a gallop

'Break out in' is just an alternative way of saying 'break into'.

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