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• buster
  buster

  noun

  a person who breaks up something.
• Buster
  Buster

  noun

  a male given name.

buster

¹ American  

[buhs-ter] / ˈbʌs tər /

noun

Informal.

• busters
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• busters
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of buster

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

buster Buster busters

Healthcare costs typically mount at a higher rate than overall inflation, and Medigap policies can be a budget buster.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

Debris “from bunker buster munitions can be seen around both sets of tunnel entrances,” Lair said in a social-media post.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 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

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

From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2023

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

Their last film together was 2018's "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", an offbeat Oscar-nominated Western starring Tim Blake Nelson, which followed the 1950s Hollywood-set satirical comedy "Hail, Caesar!" in 2016.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

A humanoid’s frantic attempts to stay upright—arms flailing, legs skittering—bears an uncanny resemblance to the choreographed collapses of Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton.

From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026

The actor and director deserves to be remembered alongside Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton as one of Hollywood’s comedy pioneers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

OK, the fact that Jennifer Coolidge steals the show also helps, as does the stunning cuteness of Buster the teacup chihuahua, along with the evergreen pizazz of the bend-and-snap sequence.

From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026

Roy Baty said, “Don’t talk while Buster is on.”

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

These munitions, known as "bunker busters", have been used by Israel in the past to target underground facilities in both Gaza and Lebanon.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2025

From there, Strait downshifted again to the archetypal sad cowboy song “I Can Still Make Cheyenne,” which could make even the toughest bronco busters reach for their handkerchiefs.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 18, 2023

I hope to follow in her footsteps, and I hereby deputize readers to become ageism stigma busters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2023

And he should exclude lawyers who worked “for a significant period” as prosecutors, corporate lawyers, or union busters.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2020

I looked back and forth between these two busters, shaking my head, making like I was barely listening anymore even though I was.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

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