Dictionary.com

busk

[ buhsk ]
/ bʌsk /

verb (used without object)

to entertain by dancing, singing, reciting, juggling, etc., on the street or in a public place.
Canadian. to make a showy or noisy appeal.

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Origin of busk

First recorded in 1850–55; origin unclear; perhaps, if earlier sense was “to make a living by entertaining,” from Polari, from Italian buscare “to procure, get, gain,” from Spanish buscar “to look for, seek”

OTHER WORDS FROM busk

busk·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for busk

  • A younger daughter was sitting “busking her puppies” (dressing her puppets, dolls), as young girls are used to do.

    Witch Stories|E. Lynn (Elizabeth Lynn) Linton

  • She is busking up her hair just as was gude enough for the old nuns, but no for kings and queens.'

    Two Penniless Princesses|Charlotte M. Yonge

  • They therefore decided that the band should go out "busking" each evening during Christmas week.

    From John O'Groats to Land's End|Robert Naylor and John Naylor

  • Yet I had stayed this busking marriage Had not my brothers pressed me to such haste And peace not waited on it.

    The Mortal Gods and Other Plays|Olive Tilford Dargan

British Dictionary definitions for busk (1 of 3)

busk1
/ (bʌsk) /

noun

a strip of whalebone, wood, steel, etc, inserted into the front of a corset to stiffen it
archaic, or dialect the corset itself

Word Origin for busk

C16: from Old French busc, probably from Old Italian busco splinter, stick, of Germanic origin

British Dictionary definitions for busk (2 of 3)

busk2
/ (bʌsk) /

verb

(intr) British to make money by singing, dancing, acting, etc, in public places, as in front of theatre queues

Derived forms of busk

busker, nounbusking, noun

Word Origin for busk

C20: perhaps from Spanish buscar to look for

British Dictionary definitions for busk (3 of 3)

busk3
/ (bʌsk) /

verb (tr) Scot

to make ready; prepare
to dress or adorn

Word Origin for busk

C14: from Old Norse būask, from būa to make ready, dwell; see bower 1
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