bust

verb

busted also bust; busting

transitive verb

1

a

: to break or smash especially with force

bust a window

also : to make inoperative

busted my watch

b

: to bring an end to : break up

He helped bust trusts …

—Newsweek

—often used with up

… better not try to bust up his happy marriage.

—Forbes

c

: to ruin financially

… the game of cheaters, which has busted more men than blackjack …

—Arthur Mayse

d

: exhaust, wear out

—used in phrases like bust one's butt to describe making a strenuous effort

e

: to tease or give a hard time to

—often used in phrases like bust one's chops

I'm just busting your chops.

2

: tame

bronco busting

3

: demote

… busted them to the bottom of the seniority list …

—Time

4

slang

a

: arrest

… busted for carrying guns …

—Saul Gottlieb

b

: raid

busted the apartment

5

: hit, slug

felt like busting him in the face

6

informal : to execute or perform (a difficult, elaborate, or acrobatic movement, as when dancing)

bust a dance move

Hot Hot Heat's jittery, caffeinated rhythms and disco grooves are helping persuade punk kids to bust a move …

—Christian Hoard

intransitive verb

1

: to go broke

2

a

: burst

laughing fit to bust

b

: break down

Her camera busted.

3

a

card games : to lose at cards by exceeding a limit (such as the count of 21 in blackjack)

b

poker : to fail to complete a straight (see straight entry 4 sense 3) or flush

Synonyms of bust

• reduce
• demote

Examples of bust in a Sentence

He busted his watch when he fell.

I think the camera is busted.

Police busted 12 gang members on weapons charges.

She got busted for drug possession.

Two students got busted by the teacher for smoking in the bathroom.

Recent Examples on the Web

LeBlanc’s homer was a two-run walk-off blast that busted a 12-12 tie. —Gary Bedore may 28, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026

After Zale broke the scoreless tie just over five minutes into the second half, Rafacz added two goals in a span of just over two minutes to bust it open, upping her season total to 17. —Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026

The mess has led to the rise of former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, whose longtime top advisor just pleaded guilty to fraud after being busted in a scheme to steal funds from one of Becerra’s campaign accounts that was dormant. —Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 27 May 2026

Gulotta said that just on Tuesday two teens were busted subway surfing on the Williamsburg, with three more busted in Bensonhurst for riding on the back of an F train. —Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 27 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

variant of burst entry 1 with assimilatory loss of /r/ before /s/

Note: See note at hoss

First Known Use

1639, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

Phrases Containing bust

• baby bust
• bust a/one's gut
• bust out
• bust out (something)
• bust someone's chops
• bust (something) out
• bust-up
• go bust
• or bust

Rhymes for bust

• bused
• crust
• cussed
• dust
• fussed
• fust
• gust
• just
• lust
• maist
• mussed
• must

Kids Definition

bust

1 of 3 noun

ˈbəst 

1

: a piece of sculpture representing the upper part of the human figure including the human head and neck

2

: the upper part of the human body

especially : the breasts of a woman

bust

2 of 3 verb

busted also bust; busting

1

a

: to break or smash with force

busted my watch

b

: to bring an end to : break up sense 2

c

: to ruin or become ruined financially

d

: exhaust entry 1 sense 1b, wear sense 3c

—used in phrases like bust one's butt to describe the act of trying very hard

2

: to tame an animal

bust a bronco

3

: demote

4

slang

a

: arrest entry 1 sense 2

b

: raid entry 2

5

: hit entry 1 sense 1a, punch

buster noun

bust

3 of 3 noun

1

: punch entry 2 sense 1

2

: a complete failure : flop

3

slang : a police raid or arrest

Etymology

from French buste "head and shoulders sculpture," from Italian busto (same meaning), from Latin bustum "tomb"

an altered form of burst