burster

noun burst·er \ ˈbərs-tər \

Definition of burster

1 : one that bursts

2 : the celestial source of an outburst of radiation (such as X-rays)

Recent Examples of burster from the Web

But to fully realize that revolutionary potential, astronomers must better understand what gives rise to FRBs in the first place, and whether the lone known repeating burster, FRB 121102, is a typical example or a fluke.

— lee billings, Scientific American, "Dead Stars Orbiting Black Holes May Explain Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts," 10 Jan. 2018
Only one burster, known as FRB121102, after the date it was discovered (Nov. 2, 2012), has repeated itself, hundreds of times now.

— dennis overbye, New York Times, "Magnetic Secrets of Mysterious Radio Bursts in a Faraway Galaxy," 10 Jan. 2018
Face-huggers, back-bursters, mecha-doppelgängers, and the most narcissistic-homoerotic sequence in sci-fi history soon follow, with the action immaculately designed for suspense, scares, and sly sinister humor.

— nick schager, Esquire, "The Best Movies of 2017," 18 Dec. 2017
In all, 18 of the fast bursters have been spotted since they were first recognized in 2007 — a small number.

— dennis overbye, New York Times, "Radio Bursts Traced to Faraway Galaxy, but Caller Is Probably ‘Ordinary Physics’," 4 Jan. 2017
Face-huggers, back-bursters, mecha-doppelgängers and the most narcissistic-homoerotic sequence in sci-fi history soon follow, with the action immaculately designed for suspense, scares and sly sinister humor.

— nick schager, Esquire, "The Best Movies of 2017 (So Far)," 5 June 2017
If this burster, 121102, is indeed typical of the bunch, the astronomers said, this might be a clue.

— dennis overbye, New York Times, "Radio Bursts Traced to Faraway Galaxy, but Caller Is Probably ‘Ordinary Physics’," 4 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'burster.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.