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!

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Buster ² American  

[buhs-ter] / ˈbʌs tər /

noun

1. a male given name.

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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

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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

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

A rare "southerly buster" is known to have blown through Fairy Meadow in the moments before Cheryl Grimmer vanished.

From BBC • Nov. 20, 2023

They probably figured that Mr. Ferris was going to tell me that I’d better not try to pull any funny business in his class, no sirree, buster.

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt