1
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
delivered a bust to the boxer's chops
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Relevance
2
as in disaster
something that has failed
the first movie was a hit, but the sequel was an unexpected bust
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3
as in arrest
slang
the act of taking or holding under one's control by authority of law
those lowlifes were nabbed for drug dealing in a massive bust last month
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4
as in spree
a bout of prolonged or excessive drinking
a bunch of underage kids having a beer bust while the parents were away for the weekend
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1
as in to reduce
to bring to a lower grade or rank
the commander threatened to bust her for failing to salute
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2
as in to bankrupt
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts
gambling is a dangerous habit that has busted many unfortunate souls
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3
as in to disrupt
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
the butterfingered husband had busted more plates than he cared to remember
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4
as in to hit
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
busted the storekeeper on the nose and was promptly arrested for it
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5
as in to arrest
slang
to take or keep under one's control by authority of law
the cops busted the revelers for drinking in public
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6
as in to wear
to use up all the physical energy of
I had to bust my butt in order to get the project done on time
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variants
or busted
as in bankrupt
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of bust
Jim Reineking, USA Today, 6 May 2025
Dubois signed a cap-squeezing eight-year, $68-million contract with Blake, then promptly proved to be a bust, setting career lows with 16 goals and 24 assists.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2025
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 May 2025
Dude, those Xfinity guys were busting their a** all over the place.
—Lydia Mee, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2024
And while those payments crimped Spotify’s profits, and the company has lately struggled to sell stock investors on a convincing growth story, Spotify is also not about to go bust.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 2 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bust
Noun
Others – JaMarcus Russell, Terry Baker – were total busts in the NFL.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 6 May 2025
Dubois signed a cap-squeezing eight-year, $68-million contract with Blake, then promptly proved to be a bust, setting career lows with 16 goals and 24 assists.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2025
Verb
On his popular TikTok channel, Joe busts tweakers with Daisy, the now-grown gator, as his sidekick.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 May 2025
Dude, those Xfinity guys were busting their a** all over the place.
—Lydia Mee, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
Adjective
And last year, when Silicon Valley Bank—favored by startups—was about to go bust, the U.S. Treasury Department, the U.S. Federal Reserve, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, came to its customers’ rescue.
—Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2024
And while those payments crimped Spotify’s profits, and the company has lately struggled to sell stock investors on a convincing growth story, Spotify is also not about to go bust.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 2 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bust
Noun
-
The lawyers claim the measure signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis this month has already dealt significant blows to campaigns to expand Medicaid and legalize recreational marijuana in the state.—
Kate Payne,
Sun Sentinel,
22 May 2025
-
In the rear of an IndyCar vehicle is a safety device called an attenuator, designed to cushion the blow from a rear impact into the wall.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Noun
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States like Florida could be forced to assume billions in costs for health care and disaster preparedness.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
17 May 2025
-
Some states, including Florida and Texas, are already adequately prepared for disasters, according to the acting chief.—
Gabriela Aoun Angueira,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2025
Noun
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Soon after his arrest, Rogers claimed to have killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles in June 1994, and about 70 people overall.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
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The actress is also a noted environmentalist and political activist who made headlines in 2016 for her arrest while protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
14 May 2025
Noun
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The killing spree occurred as authorities were trying to hunt down William G. Bonin, a former Downey truck driver known as the Freeway Killer.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2025
-
Killing spree begins The first of the eight killings happened Nov. 27, 2017.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 May 2025
Verb
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An estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the proposals would reduce the number of people with health care by at least 7.6 million from the Medicaid changes, and possibly more with other changes to the Affordable Care Act.—
Kevin Freking,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2025
-
In Sacramento, California, the weather service warned its office would have reduced staffing overnight.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
Verb
-
But that only attracted sharp bettors, who nearly bankrupted the startup.—
Will Yakowicz,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Judge Clark’s ruling in Missouri v. Jenkins demanded the state pay $1.8 billion, nearly bankrupting Kansas City, and today leaves the 39,000-student school system still struggling to improve academic turnouts for minorities.—
Jeanne Allen,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Indeed, on Thursday in Basel, a small group of protesters blew whistles and waved flags to disrupt one of Raphael’s public rehearsals.—
Alex Marshall,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
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In a particularly affecting scene, Laura pleads with a social worker who disrupts the sinister plot she’s been crafting.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Prosecutors say Read deliberately hit O’Keefe, 46, outside the home a fellow cop and left him for dead in a drunken rage.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
14 May 2025
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The actor, 60, shared a photo himself reading Jeremy Renner's new book, My Next Breath, which hit shelves on April 29 and is now a New York Times bestseller.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bust. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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