as in filled
containing or seeming to contain the greatest quantity or number possible
the store was bursting with bargain hunters on the day of the big sale
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in exploding
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure
the turnover's crust burst when the filling expanded
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shattering
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bursting
Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 3 Mar. 2026
This includes both 2000 and 2007, when bubbles bursting coincided with painful recessions.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
This helps water flow as the ice melts and relieves pressure, reducing the risk of the pipe bursting.
—Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
While plumbers said winter is known for pipes bursting, once the weather starts thawing out in the spring, their call volume picks up.
—Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Strategy was formerly known as MicroStrategy — going public in June 1998 at $10 a share — promptly sprinting up 31-fold to around $320 before sinking fast in the wake of the dot-com bubble bursting and the revelation of dodgy revenue accounting at the analytics software company.
—Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Though his language is that of the every day his preternatural instinct for rhythm fills his lines with a bursting musicality.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
The bursting of the dot-com bubble helped cause the 2001 recession and led the Nasdaq to lose over 75% of its value by late 2002.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025
This wasn’t a hack or a bubble bursting.
—João Marinotti, The Conversation, 21 Nov. 2025
José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 4 Mar. 2026
If your closet isn’t already bursting at the seams with winter layers, consider snagging this Zeagoo Long Cardigan for 55 percent off.
—Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2026
The massive runup is now stoking worries about the investment bubble bursting.
—ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
In both cases the market was rattled by concerns that an AI bubble was on the verge of bursting.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 27 Feb. 2026
In both cases the market was rattled by concerns that an AI bubble was on the verge of bursting.
—Parmy Olson, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
His bars are packed tight with jokes and an unwieldy personality, bursting with vocal quirks and tricks that show a rapper growing into his most confident self.
—Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
The pianist Steven Blier, who co-founded NYFOS in 1988 and remains its artistic director, is one of the most imaginative programmers in classical music, his myriad interests bursting the courtly confines of the vocal recital.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Catmint grows from one and a half to three feet tall, bursting with violet-blue flowers in the spring and summer.
—Angela England, The Spruce, 22 Feb. 2026
Noun
This 2024 debut novel by Kaveh Akbar, the poetry editor at The Nation, is an unflinching tour-de-force bursting with wit and insight into the complications of diaspora, the nature of identity in a post-War on Terror world and the inter-generational impact of the 1979 Revolution on Iranians.
—Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 3 Mar. 2026
This includes both 2000 and 2007, when bubbles bursting coincided with painful recessions.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
This helps water flow as the ice melts and relieves pressure, reducing the risk of the pipe bursting.
—Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
While plumbers said winter is known for pipes bursting, once the weather starts thawing out in the spring, their call volume picks up.
—Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Strategy was formerly known as MicroStrategy — going public in June 1998 at $10 a share — promptly sprinting up 31-fold to around $320 before sinking fast in the wake of the dot-com bubble bursting and the revelation of dodgy revenue accounting at the analytics software company.
—Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Though his language is that of the every day his preternatural instinct for rhythm fills his lines with a bursting musicality.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
The bursting of the dot-com bubble helped cause the 2001 recession and led the Nasdaq to lose over 75% of its value by late 2002.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025
This wasn’t a hack or a bubble bursting.
—João Marinotti, The Conversation, 21 Nov. 2025
Verb
The look—a skintight black bustier dress with a trompe l’oeil crocodile tail on the front and a bursting cloud of white tulle at the back—first appeared in January on Roseberry’s couture runway for the label.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 4 Mar. 2026
If your closet isn’t already bursting at the seams with winter layers, consider snagging this Zeagoo Long Cardigan for 55 percent off.
—Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2026
The massive runup is now stoking worries about the investment bubble bursting.
—ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
In both cases the market was rattled by concerns that an AI bubble was on the verge of bursting.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 27 Feb. 2026
In both cases the market was rattled by concerns that an AI bubble was on the verge of bursting.
—Parmy Olson, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
His bars are packed tight with jokes and an unwieldy personality, bursting with vocal quirks and tricks that show a rapper growing into his most confident self.
—Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
The pianist Steven Blier, who co-founded NYFOS in 1988 and remains its artistic director, is one of the most imaginative programmers in classical music, his myriad interests bursting the courtly confines of the vocal recital.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Catmint grows from one and a half to three feet tall, bursting with violet-blue flowers in the spring and summer.
—Angela England, The Spruce, 22 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bursting
Adjective
-
The new system allows citations to be transmitted electronically and enter the court records system pre-filled.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
This comforter is pre-filled and designed to be two inches wider than standard sizes for an extra-plush feel and complete bed coverage.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Watched behind his closed eyelids the eruption of strange visual forms, shapes of light blooming and disintegrating, blue green and yellow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Her message endured the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, centuries of burial beneath volcanic ash, and the slow fade of time itself.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Plowden made his presence felt early, exploding to the basket for a dunk before hitting a 3-pointer later in the first quarter.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Between the 1919 Black Sox scandal and the 2005 World Series title, two-time White Sox owner Bill Veeck was a sports marketing pioneer, literally adding fireworks to the fan experience with the first exploding scoreboard at the original Comiskey Park.—
Ryan Baker,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
From thunderous victory to shattering downfall, this play delivers sweeping action sequences, political intrigue, and a theatrical experience that hits with the force of a battle drum.—
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Mar. 2026
-
That burst of momentum came in a primary that was already shattering spending records.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Southern California club joins a buzzing market of MLS stake sales.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Iranian Americans in metro Atlanta said their phones were buzzing as events unfolded overseas, and now many are anxiously waiting for the next message from family back home.—
Daniel Wilkerson,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Reliable high-speed Wi-Fi, dedicated workspaces, business centers, meeting rooms, and on-site conference facilities can make a significant difference during a packed schedule.—
Abby Price,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Mar. 2026
-
In a packed room at the Denver Public Schools headquarters, many students, parents, and educators spoke before board members with an urgent plea to help the immigrant population in the district.—
Gabriela Vidal,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Others reported explosions around the Iranian city of Kermanshah in an area that is home to multiple missile bases.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Amid the explosions, internet blackouts, and continued uncertainty, some Iranians are seeking a way out.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Experts also reported little evidence that Iran is actively resuming its efforts to enrich uranium, let alone building a bomb-detonating mechanism.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
-
There are other photographs of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor taken in dark rooms with a flash detonating straight into his face.—
Christopher Anderson,
Vanity Fair,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bursting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bursting. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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