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Synonyms
Verb
Noun (2)
- bang
- bash
- bat
- beat
- belt
- biff
- blow
- bop
- box
- buffet
- chop
- clap
- clip
- clout
- crack
- cuff
- dab
- douse [British]
- fillip
- hack
- haymaker
- hit
- hook
- knock
- larrup [dialect]
- lash
- lick
- pelt
- pick
- plump
- poke
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slap
- slug
- smack
- smash
- sock
- spank
- stinger
- stripe
- stroke
- swat
- swipe
- switch
- thud
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- welt
- whack
- wham
- whop
- whap
Examples of bust in a Sentence
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Oct. 2023
In California, Lee found himself among a competitive generation of software engineers landing in the wake of the dot-com bust with ambitions to build digital empires over the old wreckage.
—Albert Samaha, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2023
Ronaldo's bust — unveiled in 2017 at the renaming of Portugal’s Madeira International Airport to Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo —set the Internet ablaze thanks to its, uh, quirks.
—Alex Heigl, Peoplemag, 17 Oct. 2023
McCollum recommends using a Roman column as a side table to add a touch of artful elegance to your space, or add a miniature Roman bust or statue to your bookshelf as an eye-catching accent piece.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Oct. 2023
The resulting bust was, in fact, the real reason that Mirai had definitively won that rivalry.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 14 Nov. 2023
Buyer’s bust The spreadsheet says California was in buyer’s market status one-third of the time since 1990.
—Jonathan Lansner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Nov. 2023
Take the trend a step further and look for Roman statue candles that mimic the plaster busts found throughout ancient homes for a conversation-starting decor element.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Nov. 2023
Floral appliques accentuated the bust and the midriff portion of the piece styled by Thomas Christos her longtime stylist.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 30 Oct. 2023
People Staff, Peoplemag, 6 Nov. 2023
The wind decided to have a mind of its own that night and switched to a straight east, which allowed two different does to bust me.
—Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 1 Nov. 2023
The man under whose administration you were indicted, and who said very negative things about you publicly, has now been busted for, among other things, mishandling classified documents and has been charged under the Espionage Act — the same arcane law you were charged under.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2023
Officers used a tool known as a Halligan bar to bust open a hole in the bathroom door, then fired pepperballs inside.
—David Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Oct. 2023
WeWork joins the likes of Core Scientific Inc., one of the largest miners of Bitcoin, and Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit Holdings Inc. to go bust and wipe out billions in market value.
—Bailey Lipschultz, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2023
There will be great opportunities for those who manage to get efficiency from AI, but still bust through barriers with surprising and authentic approaches to their work.
—WIRED, 20 Oct. 2023
Sadly, powerful manifestos can lead to imperfect revolutions, and feminist revisions, in their aim of busting through old stories, can sometimes forget to write new ones.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2023
More than a dozen squatters were busted living in a Florida motel the county is trying to renovate to become a homeless shelter.
—Emma Colton, Fox News, 30 Oct. 2023
Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023
The first of three busts on our list from the incredibly bust-y 2015 draft.
—Evan Grant, Dallas News, 28 June 2023
The foundation’s public backers — at the time the province of Messina, the Taormina municipality and the Messina city council — were bust.
—Ilaria Ravarino, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 June 2023
Crushed by tragedy: George McCloud, more than a Pacers bust
These players have made significant contributions to the Indiana Pacers franchise and have left a lasting impact on the team's history.
—Joe Mutascio, The Indianapolis Star, 3 July 2023
There are prospects likely to be available at No. 5 who are viewed as having both superstar and bust potential.
—Detroit Free Press, 20 June 2023
In a way, the ruins make as powerful a statement as the second, and intact, bust.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 6 Feb. 2023
The incredible piece includes black velvet details across the shoulders, bust, and waist, cut into shapes meant to accentuate or sculpt parts of the body.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 17 May 2023
In front of the mirror, place a bust, floral arrangement, or pair of candelabras. 5.
—Catie Parrish, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Apr. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bust.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun (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
Note: Outcomes of *būstis in Italy with the meaning "trunk" are attested in Upper Italian and to a limited degree in the south (see Lessico etimologico italiano); outside of Italy compare Old Occitan bustz "torso," Romansh (Engadine) büst, (Surselvan [dialect of the upper Rhine]) best "tree trunk, torso, body, bodice," Romanian buşteán "tree trunk." The traditional etymology of Italian busto connects it with classical Latin bustum "funeral pyre, burial mound" but the improbable notion of a transfer in sense from "burial mound" to "representation of the upper body" is not supported by the Romance evidence, which shows a clear progression "tree trunk" > "trunk of the body."
Verb
variant of burst entry 1 with assimilatory loss of /r/ before /s/
Note: See note at hoss
Noun (2)
derivative of bust entry 2
Adjective
from predicative use of bust entry 3
Noun (1)
1645, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1639, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2
Noun (2)
1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1b
Adjective
1836, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing bust
Dictionary Entries Near bust
Cite this Entry
“Bust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bust. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
bust
1 of 3 nounbust
2 of 3 verbbust
3 of 3 nounNoun
from French buste "head and shoulders sculpture," from Italian busto (same meaning), from Latin bustum "tomb"
Verb
an altered form of burst
More from Merriam-Webster on bust
Nglish: Translation of bust for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of bust for Arabic Speakers
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