breakout

(brāk'out')
n.

1. A forceful emergence from a restrictive condition or situation.
2. A sudden manifestation or increase, as of a disease; an outbreak.
3. A breakdown of statistical data.

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rise in a security’s price above a resistance level (commonly its previous high price) or drop below a level of support (commonly the former lowest price). A breakout is taken to signify a continuing move in the same direction.

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noun

The act or an instance of escaping, as from confinement or difficulty: break, decampment, escape, escapement, flight, getaway. Slang lam. See free/unfree.

A price movement through an identified level of support or resistance, which is usually followed by heavy volume and increased volatility. Traders will buy the underlying asset when the price breaks above a level of resistance and sell when it breaks below support.  

 
This chart shows a stock that has historically encountered a lot of resistance near $37, but notice how it heads sharply higher following the breakout.

Investopedia Says:
In practice, a breakout is most commonly used to refer to a situation where the price breaks above a level of resistance and heads higher, rather than breaking below a level of support and heading lower. Once a resistance level is broken, it is regarded as the next level of support when the asset experiences a pullback  Most traders use chart patterns and other technical tools such as trendlines to identify possible candidates that are likely to break through a support/resistance level. 

A breakout is the bullish counterpart to a breakdown.

Related Links:
Learn how to capitalize on the predictable behavior of others during breakouts and breakdowns. Trading Failed Breaks
Trading range breakouts is unprofitable for most novice traders; here are some alternatives that can be used. 3 Reasons Not To Trade Range Breakouts
Sometimes you have to be a predator to profit. Find out how to cash in on false breakouts. Capitalize On False Breakouts In The Danger Zone
We'll walk you through this trading strategy from start to finish. The Anatomy Of Trading Breakouts
This bullish trading strategy offers unlimited potential profit with limited risk. Backspreads: Good News For Breakout Traders
You may be missing some key statistics when following charts in the market. What Your Trading Charts Aren't Telling You
Discover how these influential levels can switch roles. Support And Resistance Reversals

IN BRIEF: n. - An escape from jail.

Tutor's tip: A "breakout" is an action that frees one, such as a prison breakout, while to "break out" is to produce or emerge suddenly.

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A technique to direct aircraft out of the approach stream. In the context of close parallel operations, a breakout is used to direct threatened aircraft away from a deviating aircraft.

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For a list of words related to breakout, see:

• Baseball - breakout: a season in which a player first displays great skill and production

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See words rhyming with "breakout."

Dansk (Danish)
n. - udbrud, flugt
adj. - udbruds-, flugt-

Nederlands (Dutch)
uitbraak

Français (French)
n. - évasion
adj. - évadé

Deutsch (German)
n. - Ausbruch
adj. - erfolgreich und populär

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - απόδραση

Italiano (Italian)
evasione

Português (Portuguese)
n. - fuga (f)

Русский (Russian)
побег

Español (Spanish)
n. - evasión, fuga
adj. - evasión, fuga

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - utbrytning, flykt, genombrott

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
脱逃, 突围, 越狱, 越狱的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 脫逃, 突圍, 越獄
adj. - 越獄的

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 포위 돌파
adj. - 돌파하는

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 包囲突破, 脱走

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) هروب من السجن‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮בריחה, פריצה החוצה‬
adj. - ‮של בריחה‬

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