Main Entry: ²bust

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): bust·ed also bust; bust·ing

Etymology: alteration of burst

Date: 1806

transitive verb 1 a : to break or smash especially with force; also : to make inoperative <busted my watch> b : to bring an end to : break up <helped bust trusts — Newsweek> —often used with up <better not try to bust up his happy marriage — Forbes> c : to ruin financially d : exhaust, wear out —used in phrases like bust one's butt to describe making a strenuous effort e : to give a hard time to —often used in phrases like bust one's chops
2 : tame <bronco busting>
3 : demote
4 slang a : arrest <busted for carrying guns — Saul Gottlieb> b : raid <busted the apartment>
5 : hit, slugintransitive verb 1 : to go broke
2 a : burst <laughing fit to bust> b : break down
3 a : to lose at cards by exceeding a limit (as the count of 21 in blackjack) b : to fail to complete a straight or flush in poker