What does bout mean?
A "bout" is a short, distinct period of intense activity or experience, most commonly an illness, a fit of emotion, or a spell of heavy drinking, as in "a bout of flu" or "a drinking bout." In sport, the word also names an individual match or contest within a larger program, particularly in boxing and wrestling, where fighters compete over a scheduled series of rounds. The noun is always countable and typically takes a phrase specifying what kind of activity occurred, which gives it a precise, journalistic flavor: writers reach for it when describing everything from a fever to a championship fight. Etymologically, "bout" comes from the Old French verb "bouter," meaning to push or thrust, so its modern sense of a discrete stretch of action preserves something of that original idea of a single exertion or exchange. It remains standard vocabulary across British and American English.
nounA short period of intense activity of a specified kind, such as a fight, illness, or drinking session; or one of a series of matches or rounds in a boxing or wrestling contest.
- A short period of intense activity or experience of a specified kind (e.g. a bout of flu, a drinking bout).
- One of a set number of matches or rounds in a boxing or wrestling competition.
"She recovered quickly from her brief bout with pneumonia."
"After a long bout of insomnia, he finally sought medical advice."
"The champion defended her belt in a twelve-round title bout in Las Vegas."
Regular plural; common when describing recurring episodes, e.g. repeated illnesses or a fight card with several matches.
"He has suffered recurring bouts of depression since his twenties."
Every boxing match is built on it, and every cold season brings one on: "bout" began life as a word for a shove or push before it meant anything at all about rounds or sickness.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bout
"Bout" entered English in the early seventeenth century from French, deriving from the Old French verb "bouter" meaning "to push or thrust," which itself came from a Germanic root. Its original English sense referred to a turn, attempt, or conflict — essentially a single round of pushing or striving — which naturally developed into the sporting sense of a match and the broader sense of a spell of activity or illness. The same Germanic-French root gave English other words including "butt" (to strike with the head) and "abut" (to adjoin), while French retains the derivative "boutade," meaning a sudden whim or outburst.
How bout is actually used
Always used as a countable noun, almost always with an of- or with-phrase specifying the activity ("a bout of coughing", "a bout with cancer"). Common in both everyday and journalistic registers, especially in sports reporting and health writing.
Easily confused with bout
"About" means concerning or approximately, while "bout" is a noun meaning a spell of activity or a fighting round — they differ by just two letters but share no meaning.