gangbuster

noun gang·bust·er \ ˈgaŋ-ˌbə-stər \

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Definition of gangbuster

: one engaged in the aggressive breakup of organized criminal gangs

— like gangbusters

: with great or excessive force or aggressiveness

came on like gangbusters

; also : with great speed or success

was selling like gangbusters

Recent Examples of gangbuster from the Web

Yes, the Giants pitching staff has been gangbusters, but those three teams are extraordinarily dangerous at the plate.

— henry schulman, SFChronicle.com, "Giants face white-hot A’s at crucial decision-making time," 12 July 2018
That is not going to be a sign that the economy is doing gangbusters.

— Fox News, "Ari Fleischer: Trump wanted a trade war, he's getting one," 3 July 2018
Renewables continued their gangbusters growth, but as long as the majority of the world economy is powered by fossil fuels, a macro trend like economic growth is going to overwhelm the rise of clean energy on the margins.

— david roberts, Vox, "The most depressing energy chart of the year," 16 June 2018
And like Amazon, this company has been growing like gangbusters!

— eric bleeker, USA TODAY, "This stock could be like buying Amazon in 1997," 14 May 2018
Uber says Freight has been going gangbusters, doubling its number of loads every quarter.

— carolyn said, San Francisco Chronicle, "Uber keeps on truckin’ as Freight expands nationwide," 1 June 2018
Shows and movies like Stranger Things, Altered Carbon, Lost in Space, and The Cloverfield Paradox comprise Netflix’s most popular category—and its about to expand like gangbusters.

— thomas harlander, Los Angeles Magazine, "Guillermo del Toro’s Horror Anthology Is the Future of Netflix," 15 May 2018
And like Amazon, this company has been growing like gangbusters!

— eric bleeker, USA TODAY, "This stock could be like buying Amazon in 1997," 14 May 2018
Happily, many of the American works in Rockefeller’s collection went gangbusters, including this absolutely gorgeous 1965 painting by Fairfield Porter, The Schooner II.

— Fortune, "The 10 Biggest Surprises From the $828 Million Rockefeller Auction," 12 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of gangbuster

¹gang + ²bust + ²-er

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First Known Use: 1930

in the meaning defined above

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