bust

[ buhst ]

/ bʌst /

verb (used without object)

Informal.

to burst.
to go bankrupt.
to collapse from the strain of making a supreme effort: She was determined to make straight A's or bust.

Cards.

Draw Poker. to fail to make a flush or straight by one card.
Blackjack. to draw cards exceeding the count of 21.

verb (used with object)

Informal.

to burst.
to bankrupt; ruin financially.

to demote, especially in military rank or grade: He was busted from sergeant to private three times.

to tame; break: to bust a bronco.

Slang.

to place under arrest: The gang was busted and put away on narcotics charges.
to subject to a police raid: The bar has been busted three times for selling drinks to minors.

Informal.

to hit.
to break; fracture: She fell and busted her arm.

noun

a failure.

Informal. a hit; sock; punch: He got a bust in the nose before he could put up his hands.

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

Slang.

an arrest.
a police raid.

Informal. a drinking spree; binge.

Cards.

a very weak hand.
Bridge. a hand lacking the potential to take a single trick.

adjective

Informal. bankrupt; broke.

Verb Phrases

bust up, Informal.

to break up; separate: Sam and his wife busted up a year ago.
to damage or destroy: Soldiers got in a fight and busted up the bar.

Words nearby bust

busra, buss, busse-buschke disease, bussell, busses, bust, bust a gut, bust one's ass, bust-up, bustamante, bustard

Idioms for bust

bust ass, Slang: Vulgar. to fight with the fists; strike or thrash another.

bust on, Slang.

to attack physically; beat up.
to criticize or reprimand harshly.
to make fun of or laugh at; mock.
to inform on.

bust one's ass, Slang: Vulgar. to make an extreme effort; exert oneself.

Origin of bust

1755–65; variant of burst, by loss of r before s, as in ass², bass², passel, etc.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bust

burst burst (see usage note at the current entry)

usage note for bust

Historically bust is derived from a dialect pronunciation of burst and is related to it much as cuss is related to curse. Bust is both a noun and a verb and has a wide range of meanings for both uses. Many are slang or informal. A few, as “a decline in economic conditions, depression,” are standard.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for bust one's ass (1 of 2)

bust¹

/ (bʌst) /

noun

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

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

Word Origin for bust

C17: from French buste, from Italian busto a sculpture, of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for bust one's ass (2 of 2)

bust²

/ (bʌst) informal /

verb busts, busting, busted or bust

to burst or break

to make or become bankrupt

(tr) (of the police) to raid, search, or arrestthe girl was busted for drugs

(tr) US and Canadian to demote, esp in military rank

(tr) US and Canadian to break or tame (a horse, etc)

(tr) mainly US to punch; hit

bust a gut See gut (def. 9)

noun

a raid, search, or arrest by the police

mainly US a punch; hit

US and Canadian a failure, esp a financial one; bankruptcy

a drunken party

adjective

broken

bankrupt

go bust to become bankrupt

Word Origin for bust

C19: from a dialect pronunciation of burst

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

Idioms and Phrases with bust one's ass (1 of 2)

bust one's ass

see break one's ass.

Idioms and Phrases with bust one's ass (2 of 2)

bust

In addition to the idioms beginning with bust

bust a gut
bust one's ass

also see:

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