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busted

[ buhs-tid ]

/ ˈbʌs tɪd /

Informal.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR busted ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

broken, fractured, or seriously damaged: a busted leg.

no longer working or operating: a busted radio.

penniless or bankrupt; broke: busted businesses that can’t pay their bills.

failed: I never talk about my busted marriages.

in trouble; caught doing something bad or wrong: I know that’s a lie—you are so busted!

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What does “barren” mean?

a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides.

Worn down by dullness, tedious repetition.

unproductive; unfruitful

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Origin of busted

First recorded in 1835–40; bust² + -ed²

Words nearby busted

bus stop, bust, bust a gut, Bustamante, bustard, busted, bustee, buster, Buster Brown collar, buster collar, busticate

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

Example sentences from the Web for busted

Earlier in the year, TMZ alleged, citing a police report, that a hotel room spat between the two left Nicki with a busted lip.
Nicki Minaj Bares Her Own Vulnerability on ‘The Pinkprint’|Rawiya Kameir|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ex-hippie Billy Hayes was busted for smuggling hash and thrown in a terrifying Turkish prison.
The Unbelievable (True) Story of the World’s Most Infamous Hash Smuggler|Marlow Stern|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Busted is not the only journalism-inspired Hollywood project in various stages of production.
Hollywood Thinks Journalists Are Sexy Again|Lloyd Grove|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Weeks before he was abducted, alleged members of a kidnapping network tied to ISIS were busted in London.
Foley Abduction Linked to British Jihadi Kidnapping Ring|Josh Rogin, Eli Lake|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He was busted but far from bust, and by February Pseudo had 10 channels.
A ‘Truman Show’ For Today: The Return of Josh Harris|Anthony Haden-Guest|July 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Well, what's the matter with makin' this house a hotel temporary for busted hearts what takes six months to cure?
Lightnin'|Frank Bacon
Dis aint no time in de mawninfo six oclockt come t folkss houses nohow t mend a busted watah-pipenossir!
The Corner House Girls' Odd Find|Grace Brooks Hill
You found me in a penitentiary, busted and all in—a thief and a gangster.
The Sky Line of Spruce|Edison Marshall
Two hours after the start daylight busted through the trees.
The Voodoo Gold Trail|Walter Walden
Talk about grit, the time a man wants to show that article's when he's busted.
The Main Chance|Meredith Nicholson

British Dictionary definitions for busted

busted

/ (ˈbʌstəd) /

adjective

informal caught out doing something wrong and therefore in troubleyou are so busted

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

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