bust Meaning & Definition
What Does Bust Mean?
As a noun, bust means a sculptured representation of the upper part of the human figure including the head and neck and usually part of the shoulders and breast. It is also used to mean the upper part of the human torso between neck and waist. As a verb, it means to break or smash especially with force. As an adjective, it means bankrupt, broke.
Quick Facts About Bust
| Part of speech | noun, verb, adjective |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbəst/ |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | snap, break and burst |
| Antonyms | mend, repair and restore |
| Plural | busts |
| Verb forms | busts, busting, busted |
Bust Definition (Noun)
- a sculptured representation of the upper part of the human figure including the head and neck and usually part of the shoulders and breast
has a bust of Abraham Lincoln in his office
- the upper part of the human torso between neck and waist
- the breasts of a woman
her bust size
Bust as a Verb
- to break or smash especially with force
bust a window
- to make inoperative
busted my watch
- to bring an end to : break up
He helped bust trusts …
- to ruin financially
… the game of cheaters, which has busted more men than blackjack …
- exhaust, wear out
- to tease or give a hard time to
- tame
bronco busting
- demote
… busted them to the bottom of the seniority list …
- arrest
… busted for carrying guns …
- raid
busted the apartment
- hit, slug
felt like busting him in the face
- to execute or perform (a difficult, elaborate, or acrobatic movement, as when dancing)
bust a dance move / Hot Hot Heat's jittery, caffeinated rhythms and disco grooves are helping persuade punk kids to bust a move …
- to go broke
- burst
laughing fit to bust
- break down
Her camera busted.
- to lose at cards by exceeding a limit (such as the count of 21 in blackjack)
- to fail to complete a straight see straight:4 or flush
Noun
- spree
- a hearty drinking session
a beer bust
- a complete failure : flop
- a business depression see depression
boom and bust
- punch, sock
… a good bust in the nose.
- a police raid see raid:1
- arrest
made a couple of drug busts
Bust as an Adjective
- bankrupt, broke
go bust
Synonyms of Bust
Antonyms of Bust
Bust in a Sentence
I busted my cooker while trying to fix it.
Aaron got busted by the feds for leaking confidential government documents on Reddit.
We want to bust the myth that real men don't eat quiche.
He busted huge air off that jump!
He busted him down to patrolman for insubordination.
I busted a fat one just wackin' it to the selfie she sent me.
He busted his glock.
He's always busting on you.
Bust a left turn.
a narcotics bust
After months of financial problems, the company finally went bust.
has a bust of Abraham Lincoln in his office
her bust size
bust a window
busted my watch
He helped bust trusts …
… the game of cheaters, which has busted more men than blackjack …
bronco busting
… busted them to the bottom of the seniority list …
… busted for carrying guns …
busted the apartment
felt like busting him in the face
bust a dance move
Hot Hot Heat's jittery, caffeinated rhythms and disco grooves are helping persuade punk kids to bust a move …
laughing fit to bust
Her camera busted.
a beer bust
boom and bust
… a good bust in the nose.
made a couple of drug busts
go bust
delivered a bust to the boxer's chops
the first movie was a hit, but the sequel was an unexpected bust
those lowlifes were nabbed for drug dealing in a massive bust last month
a bunch of underage kids having a beer bust while the parents were away for the weekend
the commander threatened to bust her for failing to salute
gambling is a dangerous habit that has busted many unfortunate souls
the butterfingered husband had busted more plates than he cared to remember
busted the storekeeper on the nose and was promptly arrested for it
the cops busted the revelers for drinking in public
I had to bust my butt in order to get the project done on time
a busted headlight
bust a dance move / Hot Hot Heat's jittery, caffeinated rhythms and disco grooves are helping persuade punk kids to bust a move …
Word Forms & Grammar
bust
busts
bust·ed
bust·ing
busted
busting
bust (third-person singular simple present busts, present participle busting, simple past and past participle busted or bust)
bust (plural busts)
bust (not comparable)
Words That Rhyme With Bust
Origin of Bust
Origin 1: borrowed from French & Italian; French buste "part of the torso above the waist," going back to Middle French, borrowed from Italian busto "tree trunk" (15th-century Upper Italian), "part of the torso above the waist, corset, sculpture or painting representing the head and upper body," going back to Vulgar Latin *būstis "trunk," perhaps alteration of Latin fūstis "stick, rod, cudgel" by crossing with a Celtic word of like meaning
Origin 2: variant of burst:1 with assimilatory loss of /r/ before /s/
Origin 3: derivative of bust:2
Origin 4: from predicative use of bust:3
Origin 5: From Middle English busten, a variant of bursten, bresten (“to burst”). Compare Low German basten, a variant of barsten (“to burst”). Cognate with burst and bost.
Origin 6: Borrowed from French buste, from Italian busto (“torso, upper body”), assumed to stem from Latin bustum (“funeral monument, tomb," originally "funeral pyre, place where corpses are burned”). Perhaps shortened from Latin ambustum, neuter of ambustus (“scorched”), past participle of ambūrō (“burn all over, scorch”), from ambi- (“around”) + ūrō (“to burn”).
Origin 7: Compare Old Norse beysti.
First Known Use
1645
1639i
1834
1836
How Do You Say Bust?
Bust is pronounced /ˈbəst/ and has 1 syllable.
Questions People Ask About Bust
Is bust a noun or a verb?
Bust is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb and an adjective.
What is another word for bust?
Words with a similar meaning to bust include snap, break and burst. See the full list of bust synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of bust?
The opposite of bust can be expressed with words like mend, repair, restore and fix.
What is the plural of bust?
The plural of bust is busts.
What is the past tense of bust?
The past tense of bust is busted. The present participle is busting.