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

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

Racing team has the look of a team poised to be a bracket buster, there is the unmistakable reality that this team tends to make mistakes at key moments. —Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025

Among the events to expect are bareback riding, barrel racing, bull riding and mutton busters. —Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 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