burst
Americanverb (used without object)
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to break, break open, or fly apart with sudden violence.
The bitter cold caused the pipes to burst.
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to issue forth suddenly and forcibly, as from confinement or through an obstacle.
Oil burst to the surface. He burst through the doorway.
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to give sudden expression to or as if to emotion.
to burst into applause; to burst into tears.
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to be extremely full, as if ready to break open.
The house was bursting with people.
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to appear suddenly; become visible, audible, evident, etc., all at once.
The sun burst through the clouds.
verb (used with object)
noun
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an act or instance of bursting.
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a sudden, intense display, as of activity, energy, or effort.
The car passed us with a burst of speed.
- Synonyms:
- spurt
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a sudden expression or manifestation, as of emotion.
a burst of affection.
- Synonyms:
- outbreak
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a sudden and violent issuing forth.
a burst of steam from the pipe.
- Synonyms:
- outbreak
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Military.
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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.
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the result of bursting; breach; gap.
a burst in the dike.
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a sudden appearance or opening to view.
idioms
verb
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to break or cause to break open or apart suddenly and noisily, esp from internal pressure; explode
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(intr) to come, go, etc, suddenly and forcibly
he burst into the room
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(intr) to be full to the point of breaking open
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(intr) to give vent (to) suddenly or loudly
to burst into song
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to cause or suffer the rupture of
to burst a blood vessel
noun
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a sudden breaking open or apart; explosion
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a break; breach; rupture
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a sudden display or increase of effort or action; spurt
a burst of speed
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a sudden and violent emission, occurrence, or outbreak
a burst of heavy rain
a burst of applause
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a volley of fire from a weapon or weapons
adjective
Other Word Forms
- burster noun
- nonbursting adjective
- unburst adjective
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
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.
Higher inflation in Germany would hit consumer spending, the institutes said, weighing on an already weak economy that has barely grown since a burst of pent-up demand after the Covid pandemic in 2022.
From Barron's
Scientists from the Universities of Cambridge and Antwerp set out to understand how this rapid burst of evolution was possible.
From Science Daily
In the Himalayas, which span Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and China, the impact of a lake burst can be particularly destructive.
EV growth globally and in the U.S., he said, was inevitable, but would take place over the long term, not in a single burst.
One effort, a children’s carbonated powdered drink sold in foil packs, was scrapped after leaks in the packets caused them to burst, according to a 2014 Baltimore Magazine profile on the company.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
