1
as in to explode
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure
the turnover's crust burst when the filling expanded
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shatter
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
finally burst the piñata open with one mighty swing of the bat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in flurry
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity
a sudden burst of industriousness whenever the boss appeared
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in explosion
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
a burst of anger that startled the other members on the panel
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of burst
David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
City soon claimed the blueprint as their own, bursting through on goal on four occasions after sweeping moves.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2025
Fortunately, Marty, posing as a federal agent here to arrest Lee for harassment, bursts through the One Well doors in the nick of time.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for burst
Verb
On the other side was a small driveway bursting with star fruit and hibiscus flowers.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
City soon claimed the blueprint as their own, bursting through on goal on four occasions after sweeping moves.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
Use large cultivars to back up smaller Japanese maples and smaller cultivars as a burst of color in the foreground.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2025
Fortunately, Marty, posing as a federal agent here to arrest Lee for harassment, bursts through the One Well doors in the nick of time.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for burst
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burst
Verb
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Propane tanks are actually more likely to explode due to excessive heat in the summer.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
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Autumn is when the park really explodes in color.—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Mamdani’s victory places him at the forefront of a global cohort of diaspora leaders who have shattered political ceilings in recent years.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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At Tesla’s annual meeting on Thursday, shareholders voted in favor of giving CEO Musk a gargantuan, record-shattering pay package that could give him stock worth $1 trillion after several years.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Swain agreed and boarded the red-eye to Heathrow toting a bulging roller suitcase packed full of financials.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
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Suddenly 10 more heads surfaced, every bulging eye on us.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The 50-year mortgage proposal came amid a flurry of posts from Pulte, a member of one of America’s most prominent homebuilding families, who was fresh off a Friday appearance at ResiDay, a residential real estate conference hosted by ResiClub.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
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Prospect Avenue was renamed Hollywood Boulevard, and a flurry of tony hotels, palatial theaters and glitzy boutiques opened along the stretch between Vine Street and Highland Avenue.—
Oren Peleg,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Local media also reported that several explosions were heard before the fire began.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
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Jonathan Taylor’s offensive explosion helped push the Indianapolis Colts past the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in the first NFL regular-season game in Berlin, 31-25, in overtime.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Whereas Balle’s first two books are inward and meditative, her third witnesses an eruption of politics.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
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In 2022, debris from an underwater volcanic eruption severed the island's only subsea communication cable, cutting the island off from the rest of the world.—
Magdalena Petrova,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In the predawn hours of October 31, FBI agents descended on the Detroit suburb where the men lived and detonated smoke bombs before storming into their homes.—
Mark Morales,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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There are swift, serpentine vines dexterous enough to snatch Dek’s supplies; combustible little slugs that detonate like grenades when triggered; and exotic flowers that swell up and squirt paralyzing darts when something approaches.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Within a few years of leaving Texas, Rauschenberg had upended everything the place had meant to him, smashing through the parochialism of small-town Southern life, where necks were broken in Jesus’ name, and families indentured or murdered.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
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Mantis shrimps can safely smash open clam shells with their claws.—
Carl Zimmer,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Burst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burst. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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