bust 1 of 3

noun

Definition of bustnext
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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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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bust

2 of 3

verb

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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bust

3 of 3

adjective

variants or busted
as in bankrupt

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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 bust
Noun
Also on Wednesday, Blume returned a Pablo Picasso bust, Fernande/Beatrice (1905), to the descendants of German-Jewish dealer Alfred Flechtheim, who was persecuted by the Reich, reports TAN. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 16 July 2026 Through parts of five seasons, the 2018 first-rounder produced a 102 OPS+ and was far from a bust. — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Verb
Two teens who engaged a Waymo car for an afternoon of carousing were busted after the vehicle delivered them to the San Mateo police. — Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 7 July 2026 Its frame story involves a crime-busting couple who, while searching for a missing coed, must view a variety of videotapes. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
Adjective
Six years later, those plans have gone bust and only a small elementary school founded by Bhakta's wife has materialized. — Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026 The components might be familiar—guitars that sound like they’re played through a busted Zenith TV at full volume, heavy acoustic strumming à la ’90s folk-grunge group Days of the New, Slocum’s fading read-out of a voice—but they’re all pulled into slightly unusual shapes. — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for bust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bust
  1. blow
  2. disaster
  3. arrest
  4. spree
  5. reduce
  6. bankrupt
  7. disrupt
  8. hit
Noun
  • Iran has been degraded by over 13,000 strikes, but has survived and reconstituted, rather than suffering a mortal blow.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • The woman, 41-year-old Ja’Marlette Hardy, bit one of the officers during the July 1 encounter, which led to the officer delivering a blow to her head.
    — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 17 July 2026
Definition of blow
Noun
  • Daniel had arrived back in Venezuela the day of the disaster, after being deported from the United States.
    — Susana Erazo, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • The discrepancy is even more apparent when analyzing major disaster declarations based on presidential elections.
    — David A. Lieb, Fortune, 16 July 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • Mullin replied that his department was in lockstep with the president’s team and boasted that arrests and deportations were rising.
    — David Nakamura, Washington Post, 16 July 2026
  • Brown’s wife was Bruneau’s best friend at the time of the victim’s death, and both women worked as flight attendants for Braniff Airlines, a Grapevine police detective wrote in an arrest warrant affidavit filed in June.
    — Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026
Definition of arrest
Noun
  • Stocks in Asia and the United States fell Friday after technological advances announced by a Chinese artificial intelligence company intensified concerns that the AI spending spree driving this year’s market rally could be at risk.
    — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • Following a 35-minute ambient companion to ILIIAITE released a year later, Loathe have been in road-dog mode, accompanying everyone from Knocked Loose to Korn to Three Days Grace on a near-constant spree of world tours.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
Definition of spree
Verb
  • The additional sleep provided by the bassinet also is believed to reduce burnout and postpartum depression in working moms and dads.
    — Roni Robbins, AJC.com, 20 July 2026
  • There is an endless debate about crime, its causes and how to reduce it.
    — Ronald J. Allen, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026
Definition of reduce
Verb
  • French money underwrote the American Revolution, bankrupting Louis XVI’s government and paving the way for their own revolution within a decade of the end of the American war.
    — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026
  • Unless homeowners opt out individually by July 16, more than 200,000 Jackson County households will become part of the lawsuit class seeking a direct one-time refund of overpayments, which some have warned could bankrupt the county.
    — Ilana Arougheti July 7, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
Definition of bankrupt
Verb
  • The escalating standoff comes as the fragile truce reached last month has fractured, once again disrupting energy flows through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles around 20% of the world's oil traffic.
    — Sam Meredith,Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 17 July 2026
  • Yanbu has become even more important during the war, serving as Saudi Arabia’s main crude export outlet as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted.
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
Definition of disrupt
Verb
  • As thousands of professors at in the University of California system say the students entering their classrooms are increasingly under-prepared for university-level math, the university’s timely graduation rates just hit all-time highs.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026
  • Average daily rates in Miami hit $302 for both game nights and eves, according to AirDNA.
    — Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
Definition of hit

Browse Nearby Words

bussing
bust
busted
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Cite this Entry

“Bust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bust. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of bust for Spanish Speakers

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