bust

[ buhst ]

/ bʌst /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bust ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

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

Idioms

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.

Can be confusedburst burst (see usage note at the current entry)

Usage note

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. 2019

Examples 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 (1 of 3)

busted

/ (ˈbʌstəd) /

adjective

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

British Dictionary definitions for busted (2 of 3)

bust

/ (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 busted (3 of 3)

bust

/ (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 busted

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)

bust

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

adjective

Verb Phrases

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of bust

Usage note

Examples from the Web for busted

British Dictionary definitions for busted (1 of 3)

busted

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for busted (2 of 3)

bust

noun

Word Origin for bust

British Dictionary definitions for busted (3 of 3)

bust

verb busts, busting, busted or bust

noun

adjective

Word Origin for bust

Idioms and Phrases with busted

bust