burst
Americanverb (used without object)
-
bursts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
burst,
past participle, past
-
bursted,
past participle, past
-
bursting
present participle
-
to break, break open, or fly apart with sudden violence.
The bitter cold caused the pipes to burst.
-
to issue forth suddenly and forcibly, as from confinement or through an obstacle.
Oil burst to the surface. He burst through the doorway.
-
to give sudden expression to or as if to emotion.
to burst into applause; to burst into tears.
-
to be extremely full, as if ready to break open.
The house was bursting with people.
-
to appear suddenly; become visible, audible, evident, etc., all at once.
The sun burst through the clouds.
verb (used with object)
-
bursts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
burst,
past participle, past
-
bursted,
past participle, past
-
bursting
present participle
noun
-
bursts
plural
-
an act or instance of bursting.
-
a sudden, intense display, as of activity, energy, or effort.
The car passed us with a burst of speed.
- Synonyms:
- spurt
-
a sudden expression or manifestation, as of emotion.
a burst of affection.
- Synonyms:
- outbreak
-
a sudden and violent issuing forth.
a burst of steam from the pipe.
- Synonyms:
- outbreak
-
Military.
-
the explosion of a projectile, especially in a specified place.
an air burst.
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a rapid sequence of shots fired by one pull on the trigger of an automatic weapon.
A burst from the machine gun shattered all the windows.
-
-
the result of bursting; breach; gap.
a burst in the dike.
-
a sudden appearance or opening to view.
idioms
verb
-
to break or cause to break open or apart suddenly and noisily, esp from internal pressure; explode
-
(intr) to come, go, etc, suddenly and forcibly
he burst into the room
-
(intr) to be full to the point of breaking open
-
(intr) to give vent (to) suddenly or loudly
to burst into song
-
to cause or suffer the rupture of
to burst a blood vessel
noun
-
a sudden breaking open or apart; explosion
-
a break; breach; rupture
-
a sudden display or increase of effort or action; spurt
a burst of speed
-
a sudden and violent emission, occurrence, or outbreak
a burst of heavy rain
a burst of applause
-
a volley of fire from a weapon or weapons
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
burstsimple
-
burstssimple
-
have burstperfect
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have burstedperfect
-
has burstperfect
-
has burstedperfect
-
am burstingprogressive
-
are burstingprogressive
-
is burstingprogressive
-
have been burstingperfect progressive
-
has been burstingperfect progressive
Past
-
burstsimple
-
burstedsimple
-
had burstperfect
-
had burstedperfect
-
was burstingprogressive
-
were burstingprogressive
-
had been burstingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of burst
First recorded before 1000; Middle English bersten, bursten, Old English berstan (past plural burston ), cognate with Old High German brestan ( German bersten ), Old Norse bresta; akin to break
Explanation
A burst is a sudden flurry of activity. Bursts of energy are helpful in shoveling heavy snow, but it's better if you work steadily instead of shoveling fast and stopping. As a verb, burst is your go-to action word to describe something sudden and energetic happening. It usually means, "to explode outward, with noise" like if you burst into song in the middle of study hall, startling everyone. It also means, “to split open in a violent way due to internal pressure” like an overfilled water balloon. It comes from the Old English word berstan, meaning "break suddenly."
Vocabulary lists containing burst
Language Gone Wrong: Words That Started Out as Errors
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 2
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The initial burst also illustrates how a relatively small number of high-profile accounts can set the agenda for a much larger audience.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026
Around the time she graduated in 2021, the property bubble burst.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Astronomers detect mysterious burst of energy from a galaxy far, far away.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Some say a landslide may have blocked the river or its tributary for some time, causing the dammed water to burst out, while others say locals upstream saw an ice-avalanche.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
Amy Post responded to Maggie and Leah’s embarrassed cries, and burst into the room to halt the examination.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Short gamma-ray bursts, or short GRBs, are believed to occur when two compact objects, such as neutron stars, spiral toward one another before colliding and merging.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Before the arrival of wind and rain, though, some bursts of warmth will lift temperatures above average, possibly reaching the low-20s Celsius at times in south-east England.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
While the U.S. stock market has sometimes stumbled this year after Treasury yields’ sudden bursts higher, Kourkafas sees economic growth and a rotation into tech helping the S&P 500 digest higher rates.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026
The club music that accompanies Claire’s bodybuilder retinue is funny the first time; less so on subsequent bursts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
I recognized the orange bursts of Butterfly Weeds and the tall red Indian Paintbrushes, but there were so many beautiful plants in the garden all I could do was smile with joy and serenity.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Postal Service truck had slid 50 feet down an embankment, and the “box containing the frankfurters was bursted open and the contents strewn considerably,” Alexander wrote to a U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2025
Previously, I’d been seduced by demonstrative courtship, but Mark wasn’t effusive, and when someone bursted into laughter with “She’s hysterical!” at one of my jokes, Mark looked bewildered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2025
It bursted out of TikTok and into the mainstream last month, when Shakira performed the “Jiggle Jiggle” dance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2022
Minnesota bursted out to a 23-0 lead at halftime as Pittsburgh struggled on offense and with run defense.
From New York Times ● Dec. 9, 2021
"Tired of this much worn physical life Chief George Moshesh bursted the bands of morality as under Tuesday, November 2nd."
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, January 5, 1916 by Sir Owen Seaman
That’s why any major pullback or bear market in stocks “will rock the economy,” she said, pointing to the 2001 recession that followed the bursting of the dot-com bubble.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Races begin with a bone-shaking roar, as the world's fastest-accelerating cars leave the starting line, flames bursting out of their exhaust pipes.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
While the house is bursting with artwork that would make most museum curators envious, Herman’s home is surprisingly humble, built on a tight budget from prosaic materials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Its track record just so happens to include both the global financial crisis and the bursting of the internet bubble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
This was the Betsie of heaven, bursting with joy and health.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
