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Showing results for busted. Search instead for lusted.
Synonyms

busted

American  
[buhs-tid] / ˈbʌs tɪd /

adjective

  1. broken, fractured, or seriously damaged.

    a busted leg.

  2. no longer working or operating.

    a busted radio.

  3. penniless or bankrupt; broke.

    busted businesses that can’t pay their bills.

  4. failed.

    I never talk about my busted marriages.

  5. in trouble; caught doing something bad or wrong.

    I know that’s a lie—you are so busted!
busted British  
/ ˈbʌstəd /

adjective

  1. informal caught out doing something wrong and therefore in trouble

    you 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

Etymology

Origin of busted

First recorded in 1835–40; bust 2 ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Baldwin Park police have busted a massive catalytic converter theft ring after a nine-month investigation, authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

An orange car pulled into the parking lot, with a busted taillight, and a few members of the group got up and hobbled over.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

Multilingual scripts, images of young women and timed toilet breaks: a police tour of a newly busted cyberscam operation in Cambodia on Wednesday revealed how fraudsters ensnare foreign victims online.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

"But that doctor in there to him was very funny because it gave it this air of authority that he thought that he clearly did not have - especially because he was busted at Oxford."

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

Frowning and letting out a low whistle, Daisy said, “Boy, Jay Berry, you have a fever. Why, it almost busted this thermometer.”

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.