bust

¹ American  

[buhst] / bʌst /

noun

1. a sculptured, painted, drawn, or engraved representation of the upper part of the human figure, especially a portrait sculpture showing only the head and shoulders of the subject.

2. the chest or breast, especially a woman's bosom.

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bust ² American  

[buhst] / bʌst /

verb (used without object)

• busts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• busted,
  past participle,  past
• bust,
  past participle,  past
• busting
  present participle

1. Informal.

   1. to burst.

   2. to go bankrupt.

   3. to collapse from the strain of making a supreme effort.

      She was determined to make straight A's or bust.

2. Cards.

   1. Draw Poker. to fail to make a flush or straight by one card.

   2. Blackjack. to draw cards exceeding the count of 21.

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verb (used with object)

• busts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• busted,
  past participle,  past
• bust,
  past participle,  past
• busting
  present participle

1. Informal.

   1. to burst.

   2. to bankrupt; ruin financially.

2. to demote, especially in military rank or grade.

   He was busted from sergeant to private three times.

3. to tame; break.

   to bust a bronco.

4. Slang.

   1. to place under arrest.

      The gang was busted and put away on narcotics charges.

   2. to subject to a police raid.

      The bar has been busted three times for selling drinks to minors.

5. Informal.

   1. to hit.

   2. to break; fracture.

      She fell and busted her arm.

noun

1. a failure.

2. Informal. a hit; sock; punch.

   He got a bust in the nose before he could put up his hands.

3. a sudden decline in the economic conditions of a country, marked by an extreme drop in stock-market prices, business activity, and employment; depression.

4. Slang.

   1. an arrest.

   2. a police raid.

5. Informal. a drinking spree; binge.

6. Cards.

   1. a very weak hand.

   2. Bridge. a hand lacking the potential to take a single trick.

adjective

1. Informal. bankrupt; broke.

verb phrase

1. bust up

   1. to break up; separate.

      Sam and his wife busted up a year ago.

   2. to damage or destroy.

      Soldiers got in a fight and busted up the bar.

idioms

1. bust ass, to fight with the fists; strike or thrash another.

2. bust on,

   1. to attack physically; beat up.

   2. to criticize or reprimand harshly.

   3. to make fun of or laugh at; mock.

   4. to inform on.

3. bust one's ass, to make an extreme effort; exert oneself.

bust ¹ British  

/ bʌst /

verb

1. to burst or break

2. to make or become bankrupt

3. (tr) (of the police) to raid, search, or arrest

   the girl was busted for drugs

4. (tr) to demote, esp in military rank

5. (tr) to break or tame (a horse, etc)

6. (tr) to punch; hit

7. See gut

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noun

1. a raid, search, or arrest by the police

2. a punch; hit

3. a failure, esp a financial one; bankruptcy

4. a drunken party

adjective

1. broken

2. bankrupt

3. to become bankrupt

bust ² British  

/ bʌst /

noun

1. the chest of a human being, esp a woman's bosom

2. a sculpture of the head, shoulders, and upper chest of a person

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bust More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing bust

• break (bust) one's ass
• go broke (bust)

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Usage

What does or bust mean? The phrase or bust is used when someone is pursuing an end no matter what, even if they fail trying. Saying New York City or bust, for example, means someone is doing absolutely everything to go there. How is or bust pronounced?[ awr buhst ]

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• busting
  present
• bust
  past
• busted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bust
  simple
• busts
  simple
• have bust
  perfect
• have busted
  perfect
• has bust
  perfect
• has busted
  perfect
• am busting
  progressive
• are busting
  progressive
• is busting
  progressive
• have been busting
  perfect progressive
• has been busting
  perfect progressive

Past

• bust
  simple
• busted
  simple
• had bust
  perfect
• had busted
  perfect
• was busting
  progressive
• were busting
  progressive
• had been busting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bust
  simple
• will have bust
  perfect
• will have busted
  perfect
• will be busting
  progressive
• will have been busting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of bust¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from French buste, from Italian busto, probably from Latin bustum “funeral pyre, ashes, grave mound, tomb,” presumably by association with the busts erected over graves

Origin of bust²

First recorded in 1755–65; variant of burst, by loss of r before s, as in ass ², bass ², passel, etc.

Explanation

If you bust something, you have broken it. A bust can also be a statue of someone from the shoulders up. Be careful to not bust a bust on your next field trip! Several meanings of bust are pretty discouraging. You might describe your business as bust if it's totally out of money, for example. Or you might threaten your younger sister, "If you bust my ceramic unicorn, you're in big trouble!" There's also the kind of bust that might sit on your piano, like a bust of Mozart or Bach — a statue of a person's head and upper shoulders. This is the oldest meaning of the word, from the Italian busto, "upper body."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bust busts busted busting

Burns brought a white bust of President Trump into one meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

“I feel like there’s a direct parallel to all of this in the private markets,” said the investor best known for calling the U.S. housing bust in 2007.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

The exhibition puts designer Pierre-Olivier Persin’s bust of the creature alongside the syringes, vials and other medical paraphernalia from the mysterious Substance kit that sets the movie’s nightmare in motion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

The bust is inscribed with the Latin phrase "me fecit Roma", translating to "Rome made me"

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

“Whoa! Ms. DuForte, you know better. Y’all can’t bust up in there. It’s a trial in progress.”

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

At the top, the Federal Reserve has long assigned itself the task of navigating the economy away from busts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

"My work also busts the myth that Byfield always did what he was told and never complained. He was very strong-willed but also suffered a great deal of hardship and psychological strain."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

Most of those coverage busts came from USC’s backups at the position, but it does beg questions about the depth in the Trojans’ defensive backfield.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Facing the threat of fresh tariffs, Vietnamese authorities pledged to increase IP violation busts by at least 20% in May compared to the same period last year.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

Momma busts me before I make it out of the house in the morning.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

Retrieving busted bots on stretchers, one of the Humanoid Games’ best visual gags, may actually have originated with her league.

From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026

He smiled after I busted him for looking, which made me recoil in horror and quickly dart over to hide in the pet food aisle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

The BBC's new director general has described the traditional TV licence model as "a busted flush" and "no longer fit for purpose".

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Pei’s firm—show dystopian scenes: busted windows, tossed rooms and graffitied walls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

“That you do. You made up a lie and got busted for it. You need to own that.”

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner

Despite the teenager then busting his score, Noppert failed to take advantage and retake the lead.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Higher prices for building materials are boosting construction costs and busting renovation budgets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

The Sweet 16 round of the tournament begins on Thursday night, and some of the top earners can be found still scoring baskets and busting brackets.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 25, 2026

A scenario in which the energy industry thrives without busting Americans’ budgets would be a major achievement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026

Crab came busting through the door carrying his rifle, a paper bag in one hand, his hunting bag over his shoulder, and a cigar clamped between his teeth.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• apprehend
• detain
• pinch