Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump to:
  • 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.
  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!


Buster 2 American  
[buhs-ter] / ˈbʌs tər /

noun

  1. a male given name.


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of buster

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

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.

"I've always called Brooklyn Buster since the day he was born," Sir David previously explained.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

Buster is Sir David's nickname for his eldest son, and the former footballer has it tattooed on his neck.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

Melling became Colin, in part, because Lighton liked his work in 2018’s Western “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” where the actor played an orator with no arms or legs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

“Sisu: Road to Revenge” If Buster Keaton were alive, he’d hail this grisly, mostly mute Finnish action flick as a worthy successor to “The General.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025

Buster Holt and Elroy Knabb were so moved they fairly fled the service afterward to spread the Word.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool