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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bursts
Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Later, as the film plays, the crowd bursts intermittently into laughter, cracking up at the clown-car quality of everyone piling into the van for the first time.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
As Antoine Semenyo chases a loose ball down the left flank, left-back Adrien Truffert bursts forward to support him inside.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Sedona Sedona is another popular fall break destination for many reasons, least of all being Oak Creek Canyon, which bursts with color during the autumn months.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 19 Sep. 2025
As Alien fans know, the facehugger will impregnate its host with a Xenomorph embryo, which eventually bursts from the host's chest.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
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
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
These collisions unleash bursts of energy, allowing physicists to explore the most fundamental building blocks of the universe.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2025
Heat milk or your preferred milk alternative on the stove or in 30-second bursts in the microwave.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
As a result, central and north-central Wisconsin could see sharper cold spells and bursts with a higher chance of snow.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Even 35-year-old John Tavares, now in his 17th NHL season, has had 13 such bursts this year — four more than Matthews, in other words.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
On screen, Lawrence and Pattinson hurl nonstop insults at each other in loud bursts of verbal warfare, a striking contrast to the duo’s quieter working relationship.
—Antonio Ferme, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025
And those short bursts of activity are certainly beneficial to some extent, says Borja del Poro Cruz, a professor at Universidad Europea de Madrid and an author of the study.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
If a bubble bursts, companies fail and big money can be lost, creating ripple effects across the economy.
—Tasmin Lockwood,chloe Taylor, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
Once a cushioned conduit to the other side, the casket now bursts with the wisdom of a life lived outside the box.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Later, as the film plays, the crowd bursts intermittently into laughter, cracking up at the clown-car quality of everyone piling into the van for the first time.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
As Antoine Semenyo chases a loose ball down the left flank, left-back Adrien Truffert bursts forward to support him inside.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Sedona Sedona is another popular fall break destination for many reasons, least of all being Oak Creek Canyon, which bursts with color during the autumn months.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 19 Sep. 2025
As Alien fans know, the facehugger will impregnate its host with a Xenomorph embryo, which eventually bursts from the host's chest.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
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
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
These collisions unleash bursts of energy, allowing physicists to explore the most fundamental building blocks of the universe.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2025
Heat milk or your preferred milk alternative on the stove or in 30-second bursts in the microwave.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
As a result, central and north-central Wisconsin could see sharper cold spells and bursts with a higher chance of snow.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Even 35-year-old John Tavares, now in his 17th NHL season, has had 13 such bursts this year — four more than Matthews, in other words.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
On screen, Lawrence and Pattinson hurl nonstop insults at each other in loud bursts of verbal warfare, a striking contrast to the duo’s quieter working relationship.
—Antonio Ferme, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025
And those short bursts of activity are certainly beneficial to some extent, says Borja del Poro Cruz, a professor at Universidad Europea de Madrid and an author of the study.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
If a bubble bursts, companies fail and big money can be lost, creating ripple effects across the economy.
—Tasmin Lockwood,chloe Taylor, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bursts
Verb
-
Her scenes with Shannon as Garfield are lovely, but at another point in Death by Lightning, Gilpin's character explodes into a whole new gear, altering the course of history along the way.—
David Bianculli,
NPR,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Autumn is when the park really explodes in color.—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Dousing enemies covered in mud with water shatters their defenses faster than basic attacks, while fire melts ice enemies without issue.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The latest expression that shatters the 140-proof mark comes from Louisville blender Barrell Craft Spirits, and this is one blend of whiskeys finished in Caribbean rum barrels that should be on any whiskey masochist’s bottle list.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
By day the Ultramar pool bar offers refreshing beverages and light fare while at night the place buzzes with energy and music.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Beetle buzzes by with tiny pumpkins perched on top, and Xuanwu, a ground robot carrying a drone, walks ominously in the background.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
As temperatures get below freezing, a few snow flurries are possible across most of the area, according to the weather service.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Mall of America—the country’s largest shopping destination—makes tackling your holiday list a breeze, while the Minneapolis Institute of Art delivers a dose of culture and calm between snow flurries.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The children grow before the camera’s eye, taking their first steps and speaking their first words to the backdrop of explosions—moving from tent to tent, clinging to life, and longing for their mother’s embrace.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
10 Nov. 2025
-
For soldiers caught in explosions, survival often comes at a steep physical cost.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Several eruptions of energy from the sun, known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, are expected to reach Earth’s magnetic field over the next two nights.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Hazards from eruptions at Kilauea include high levels of volcanic gas, ash, pumice, scoria and reticulite and Pele's hair -- strands of volcanic glass produced by lava fountaining that can be carried more than 10 miles from the vent, according to the USGS.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Brother Dusk detonates explosives that shatter the cryonic chamber of Cleon clones, bodies raining down in blood and glass, before plucking a single embryo from the wreckage to bait Demerzel’s deepest programming.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Determined to finish the job, Dante detonates explosives on the dam itself.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But even when Carr smashes a model boat to smithereens after a professional rejection or Allura imagines herself going full Lemonade on Chase’s sidepiece, their actions feel divorced from any larger context.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
-
But even when Carr smashes a model boat to smithereens after a professional rejection or Allura imagines herself going full Lemonade on Chase’s sidepiece, their actions feel divorced from any larger context.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bursts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bursts. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share