buster

noun

bust·​er ˈbə-stər 

1

a

chiefly Midland US : someone or something extraordinary

a buster of a breakfast

—Harriet B. Stowe

b

: an unusually sturdy child

c

often capitalized : fellow

—usually used as a form of address

hey buster, come here

2

chiefly Australia : a sudden violent wind often coming from the south

3

: one that breaks, breaks up, or eliminates something

crime busters

: such as

a

: plow

b

[short for broncobuster] : a person who breaks horses

4

: a bad fall

Examples of buster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Cubs fell behind, three games to one, but then went into curse-buster mode … and won Game 5 (at Wrigley), Game 6 (in Cleveland) and Game 7 (in Cleveland). —Jayson Stark, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025

Willie Simmons is a streak-buster. —Alex Krutchik, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2025

That’s a nice surprise for those of us who are tired of pretending that rocking chairs and flickering flashlights were ever scary — but a brutal slap in the face for anyone still taking these con-artist ghost busters seriously. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025

He's been the union-buster in chief. —Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing buster

• bunker buster
• clot-buster

Rhymes for buster

• bluster
• cluster
• duster
• juster
• luster
• lustre
• muster
• thruster
• trustor
• adjuster
• baluster
• blockbuster