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• buster
  buster

  noun

  a person who breaks up something.
• Buster
  Buster

  noun

  a male given name.

buster

¹ American  

[buhs-ter] / ˈbʌs tər /

noun

Informal.

• busters
  plural

1. a person who breaks up something.

   crime busters.

2. something that is very big or unusual for its kind.

3. a loud, uproarious reveler.

4. a frolic; spree.

5. (initial capital letter) (used as a familiar term of address to a man or boy who is an object to the speaker's annoyance or anger).

   Look, Buster, you're standing in my way!

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Buster ² American  

[buhs-ter] / ˈbʌs tər /

noun

1. a male given name.

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buster British  

/ ˈbʌstə /

noun

1. (in combination) a person or thing destroying something as specified

   dambuster

2. a term of address for a boy or man

3. a person who breaks horses

4. a spree, esp a drinking bout

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• busters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of buster

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; bust ² + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

buster Buster busters

Healthcare costs typically mount at a higher rate than overall inflation, and Medigap policies can be a budget buster.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

Debris “from bunker buster munitions can be seen around both sets of tunnel entrances,” Lair said in a social-media post.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026

These bombers can carry the 30,000-pound GBU-57 “Massive Ordnance Penetrator” bunker buster, a weapon experts say is uniquely designed to penetrate underground nuclear facilities like Iran’s Fordow site.

From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2025

A rare "southerly buster" is known to have blown through Fairy Meadow in the moments before Cheryl Grimmer vanished.

From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2023

Photograph by Nicholas H. Shepherd in 1846 or 1847. buster play in American history.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

The response from Giants president and Hall of Fame catcher Buster Posey was considered inadequate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

OK, the fact that Jennifer Coolidge steals the show also helps, as does the stunning cuteness of Buster the teacup chihuahua, along with the evergreen pizazz of the bend-and-snap sequence.

From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026

The Minions restage the most famous stunts of Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton and provide an alternative history of how the famous Hollywoodland sign in the hills got shortened to Hollywood.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

No one from Murdaugh’s family was visible in the courtroom, another difference from the initial trial, when his older son Buster as well as Murdaugh’s brother and sister were daily fixtures behind the defense table.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

He was loved for his wicked humor, delivered with a Buster Keaton straight face, and boundless generosity.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

These munitions, known as "bunker busters", have been used by Israel in the past to target underground facilities in both Gaza and Lebanon.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2025

From there, Strait downshifted again to the archetypal sad cowboy song “I Can Still Make Cheyenne,” which could make even the toughest bronco busters reach for their handkerchiefs.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 18, 2023

We can slug, as you saw some homers tonight, but those shift busters, and Albert riding out a backdoor breaking ball — that’s stuff that really gets my juices going.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2021

And he should exclude lawyers who worked “for a significant period” as prosecutors, corporate lawyers, or union busters.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2020

The only real reference that the Langley brain busters could lay their hands on was Introduction to Celestial Mechanics, a 1914 textbook by Forest Ray Moulton.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly