buster

¹ American  

[buhs-ter] / ˈbʌs tər /

noun

Informal.

1. a person who breaks up something.

   crime busters.

2. something that is very big or unusual for its kind.

3. a loud, uproarious reveler.

4. a frolic; spree.

5. (initial capital letter) (used as a familiar term of address to a man or boy who is an object to the speaker's annoyance or anger).

   Look, Buster, you're standing in my way!

---

Buster ² American  

[buhs-ter] / ˈbʌs tər /

noun

1. a male given name.

---

buster British  

/ ˈbʌstə /

noun

1. (in combination) a person or thing destroying something as specified

   dambuster

2. a term of address for a boy or man

3. a person who breaks horses

4. a spree, esp a drinking bout

---

Etymology

Origin of buster

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; bust ² + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Forever it will live as instant happiness, a bad-mood buster: Alysa Liu’s climactic, wildly charismatic free skate at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

These bombers can carry the 30,000-pound GBU-57 “Massive Ordnance Penetrator” bunker buster, a weapon experts say is uniquely designed to penetrate underground nuclear facilities like Iran’s Fordow site.

From Salon • Jun. 21, 2025

The US has bunker buster bombs Israel believes can destroy Iran's underground uranium enrichment site at Fordow.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2025

Another format buster is “Mujeres de Maiz en Movimiento: Spiritual Artivism, Healing Justice, and Feminist Praxis,” an anthology by members of the East Los Angeles-based women’s collective, now in its 27th year.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2024

She sat on his chest and said, “Not this time, buster, this time you pay.”

From "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" by Christopher Paul Curtis