1
as in explodes
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 shatters
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 flurries
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 explosions
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
a burst of anger that startled the other members on the panel
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in eruptions
the act or an instance of exploding
one burst after another could be heard in the distance
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bursts
Benny Har-Even, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Third Thursdays bring the festive Art Walk, when the district bursts with local art, live music, and technicolor vibes.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 5 Aug. 2025
The same striped sole is used for the second variant, which bursts forth with more color via red suede and blue overlays.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025
One emerging approach gaining traction is called microlearning, a strategy that delivers academic content in short bursts rather than lengthy lessons.
—Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 10 Sep. 2025
Some gags land, others don’t, and the script’s sudden bursts of melancholy dependably catch you in the gut.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
For now, passengers will only experience a few short bursts at top speed, which is still far short of what is standard in Europe and Asia.
—Ben Jones, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
In REM sleep, bursts of both SST and GHRH combine to produce sharp pulses of GH, while in non-REM sleep, SST activity drops, allowing steadier hormone release.
—New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2025
Thunderstorms will produce bursts of heavy rainfall in Miami-Dade and Broward, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
The family’s ring doorbell camera captured a man in all black who appeared to stand in the middle of their street raising a gun and three bursts of gunfire from different locations.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
The bursts packed a punch, uprooting even mature trees in the Carmichael area, and disrupting power to thousands of Sacramento Municipal Utility District customers.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
The movie is a tour de force In IMAX, the format’s large screen and huge sound a perfect partner for the purple one’s charisma, which positively bursts off the screen.
—Benny Har-Even, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Third Thursdays bring the festive Art Walk, when the district bursts with local art, live music, and technicolor vibes.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 5 Aug. 2025
The same striped sole is used for the second variant, which bursts forth with more color via red suede and blue overlays.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
The sound of wheels hitting concrete blends with bursts of laughter and cheers.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025
One emerging approach gaining traction is called microlearning, a strategy that delivers academic content in short bursts rather than lengthy lessons.
—Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 10 Sep. 2025
Some gags land, others don’t, and the script’s sudden bursts of melancholy dependably catch you in the gut.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
For now, passengers will only experience a few short bursts at top speed, which is still far short of what is standard in Europe and Asia.
—Ben Jones, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
In REM sleep, bursts of both SST and GHRH combine to produce sharp pulses of GH, while in non-REM sleep, SST activity drops, allowing steadier hormone release.
—New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2025
Thunderstorms will produce bursts of heavy rainfall in Miami-Dade and Broward, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
The family’s ring doorbell camera captured a man in all black who appeared to stand in the middle of their street raising a gun and three bursts of gunfire from different locations.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
The bursts packed a punch, uprooting even mature trees in the Carmichael area, and disrupting power to thousands of Sacramento Municipal Utility District customers.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bursts
Verb
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Not the kind that explodes into shouting matches, but the silent, slow-burning kind.—
Stephan Lendi,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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As Kevin, a truly reluctant hero who can’t escape his fundamental goodness, attempts to drive the kids and Mary across town, the Camp Fire explodes.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That embryonic Xenomorph then shatters its container and leaps at Wendy, who pets it gently.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Trump's action shatters this precedent, inviting chaos.—
Dan Irvine,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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On football weekends, the whole town buzzes with maroon pride, fans, and festive energy.—
Jill Robbins,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
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Nyhavn’s vibrant waterfront dazzles with its iconic townhouses, while Vesterbro’s gritty-chic Meatpacking District buzzes with galleries and nightlife.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Thin air and unpredictable wind flurries near Everest’s highest elevations prevent the drones from operating at some of the final camps leading to the summit.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The test marked a welcome victory for SpaceX and the budding launch vehicle, which suffered in-flight upper stage explosions during each of this year's three Starship launches leading up to Flight 10.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The barrage appeared to target several Ukrainian regions, with local authorities reporting explosions in the western regions of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lutsk.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In this demo expedition, his group deployed hyper-tech robotic explorers to map a lava tube on a Mars analog site, in the Spanish Canary Islands, which, like the Hawaiian archipelago, were produced via a series of volcanic eruptions.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Around the time of this flip, solar activity gradually ramps up, causing more solar eruptions like solar flares and coronal mass ejections.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Determined to finish the job, Dante detonates explosives on the dam itself.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Toussaint is killed in the penultimate episode after Shagan detonates a bomb on Saskia’s computer.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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At a single, two-minute dinner, Hermann Kafka smashes a cockroach while denigrating his son’s engagement to Felice Bauer before reiterating his distaste for Franz’s writing.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
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Excitement around the closing stretch is spilling onto the charts in the United Kingdom, as a wave of Coldplay smashes return and rise this frame.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bursts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bursts. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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