burst

[ burst ]

/ bɜrst /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR burst ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), burst or, often, burst·ed, burst·ing.

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), burst or, often, burst·ed, burst·ing.

to cause to break or break open suddenly and violently: He burst the balloon.

to cause or suffer the rupture of: to burst a blood vessel.

to separate (the parts of a multipart stationery form consisting of interleaved paper and carbon paper).

noun

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.

a sudden expression or manifestation, as of emotion: a burst of affection.

a sudden and violent issuing forth: a burst of steam from the pipe.

Military.

the explosion of a projectile, especially in a specified place: an air burst.
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.

Nearby words

Idioms

burst at the seams, to be filled to or beyond normal capacity: This room will be bursting at the seams when all the guests arrive.

Origin of burst

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

SYNONYMS FOR burst

1. crack, explode. 6. rend, tear. 10. spurt. 11, 12. outbreak.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR burst ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsnon·burst·ing, adjective, nounun·burst, adjective

Can be confusedbust burst (see usage note at bust²)

Usage note

See bust².

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for burst

The gunman then burst from the restaurant and fled down the street with the other man.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Within a few swipes, I was already feeling that burst of romantic optimism you need the first day of the (Christian) new year.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A burst of machine-gun fire blew off the wall of a nearby building—the commandos were approaching.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And, as a result, an interesting and important text has burst out of the archives and into public consciousness.
Jesus Christ, Baby Daddy?|Candida Moss|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And bonus points for the school bus that burst into flames with the comic timing of a Simpsons gag.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Self Help’: A Grim Show Displays Its Comedy Streak, and A Major Reveal|Melissa Leon|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But at this moment noise and smoke seemed to burst out on every side; the officer shouted to him to sound Retire!
Children's Literature|Charles Madison Curry
He burst into a paroxysm of self-applausive mirth over his joke, in which a couple of satellites near at hand joined.
Little Miss Grouch|Samuel Hopkins Adams
Had I known all that must befall me, before my eyes beheld that scene again, I think indeed that it would have burst.
Montezuma's Daughter|H. Rider Haggard
To my surprise the question provoked a burst of anger from the salesman.
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes|A. Conan Doyle
He burst in upon her to declare his love, as if it were a question of firing the first shot on a field of battle.
The Duchesse de Langeais|Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for burst

burst

/ (bɜːst) /

verb bursts, bursting or burst

to break or cause to break open or apart suddenly and noisily, esp from internal pressure; explode

(intr) to come, go, etc, suddenly and forciblyhe burst into the room

(intr) to be full to the point of breaking open

(intr) to give vent (to) suddenly or loudlyto burst into song

to cause or suffer the rupture ofto 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; spurta burst of speed

a sudden and violent emission, occurrence, or outbreaka burst of heavy rain; a burst of applause

a volley of fire from a weapon or weapons

adjective

broken apart; ruptureda burst pipe

Derived Formsburster, noun

Word Origin for burst

Old English berstan; related to Old Norse bresta, Old Frisian bersta, Old High German brestan; compare break

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

Word Origin and History for burst

burst

Old English berstan (intransitive) "break suddenly, shatter under pressure" (class III strong verb; past tense bærst, past participle borsten), from a West Germanic metathesis of Proto-Germanic *brestanan (cf. Old Saxon brestan, Old Frisian bersta, Middle Dutch berstan, Low German barsten, Dutch barsten, Old High German brestan, German bersten "to burst"), from PIE root *bhreus- "to burst, break, crack" (see bruise (v.)).

The forms reverted to brest- in Middle English from influence of Old Norse brestan/brast/brosten, from the same Germanic root, but it was re-metathesized late 16c. and emerged in the modern form, though brast was common as past tense through 17c. and survives in dialect.

Of extended or distended surfaces from 1530s. Figuratively, in reference to being over-full of excitement, anticipation, etc., from 1630s. Transitive sense ("to cause to break") is from late 13c. Meaning "to issue suddenly and abundantly" is from c.1300 (literal), mid-13c. (figurative). Meaning "break into sudden activity or expression" is from 1680s. Related: Bursting.

burst

1610s, "act of bursting," from burst (v.). Meaning "a spurt" (of activity, etc.) is from 1862. The earlier noun berst (early Middle English) meant "damage, injury, harm."

burst

verb (used without object), burst or, often, burst·ed, burst·ing.

verb (used with object), burst or, often, burst·ed, burst·ing.

noun

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of burst

Usage note

Examples from the Web for burst

burst

verb bursts, bursting or burst

noun

adjective

Word Origin for burst

burst

burst