Synonyms of bust

bust 1 of 3

noun

1

as in blow

a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument

delivered a bust to the boxer's chops

Synonyms & Similar Words

• blow
• slap
• hit
• punch
• whack
• knock
• thump
• pound
• swipe
• smack
• stroke
• thud
• bang
• poke
• lick
• beat
• spank
• slam
• hook
• kick
• clip
• crack
• clap
• chop
• cuff
• belt
• smash
• plump
• sock
• switch
• hack
• bat
• lash
• slug
• pick
• swat
• rap
• knee
• bop
• bash
• box
• pelt
• welt
• stripe
• wham
• fillip
• buffet
• biff
• clout
• stinger
• pounding
• swing
• dab
• licking
• wallop
• beating
• hand
• thwack
• whop
• haymaker
• left
• douse
• right
• larrup
• counter
• body blow
• whip
• sucker punch
• hammering
• roundhouse
• counterblow
• whipping
• shiver
• knockout
• knockdown
• counterstroke
• thrashing
• uppercut
• rabbit punch
• KO
• one-two
• battering
• pummeling
• flogging
• drubbing
• cruncher
• counterpunch
• sidewinder
• pasting
• clobbering
• bludgeoning
• right-hander
• walloping
• cudgeling
• lambasting
• kayo
• bastinado

2

as in disaster

something that has failed

the first movie was a hit, but the sequel was an unexpected bust

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disaster
• failure
• catastrophe
• bomb
• disappointment
• loser
• flop
• washout
• fiasco
• mess
• debacle
• miss
• lemon
• shipwreck
• fizzle
• dud
• frost
• turkey
• clunker
• has-been
• bummer
• clinker
• dog
• botch
• hash
• shambles
• near miss
• also-ran
• muddle
• nonevent
• nonstarter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• success
• hit
• blockbuster
• winner
• smash
• phenomenon
• corker
• crackerjack
• dandy
• jim-dandy

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arrest
• raid
• arrestment
• collar
• apprehension
• pinch
• seizure
• capture
• imprisonment
• restraint
• house arrest
• detention
• entrapment
• incarceration
• confinement
• captivity
• hold
• remand
• rearrest
• enchainment
• immurement

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discharge
• release
• liberation
• emancipation

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spree
• drunk
• binge
• bender
• carouse
• carousal
• toot
• jamboree
• wassail
• blowout
• revel
• drunkenness
• orgy
• revelry
• kegger
• jag
• bacchanalia
• inebriation
• intoxication
• inebriety
• tipsiness
• bibbery
• bibulousness

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reduce
• demote
• sack
• downgrade
• dismiss
• degrade
• break
• can
• fire
• disrate
• downsize
• lay off
• lower
• humiliate
• humble
• demean
• cashier
• debase
• abase

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• raise
• promote
• advance
• hire
• elevate

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bankrupt
• ruin
• break
• reduce
• impoverish
• wipe out
• clean (out)
• pauperize
• beggar
• straiten

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enrich
• richen

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disrupt
• break
• fracture
• fragment
• ruin
• reduce
• destroy
• disintegrate
• break up
• shatter
• smash
• crush
• burst
• split
• crack
• dismember
• rive
• explode
• blast
• powder
• grind
• wreck
• pop
• detonate
• chip
• blow up
• pulverize
• shiver
• implode
• atomize
• sliver
• splinter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• patch
• fix
• repair
• rebuild
• heal
• reconstruct
• mend
• renovate
• doctor
• recondition

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hit
• smack
• slap
• knock
• punch
• bang
• slam
• clap
• whack
• strike
• crack
• pound
• clip
• kick
• bat
• swipe
• box
• bash
• clock
• nail
• push
• thump
• tap
• shove
• hammer
• slug
• belt
• lick
• tag
• rap
• swat
• sock
• bop
• bonk
• poke
• chop
• clout
• bump
• bob
• zap
• whale
• clobber
• smite
• flick
• bludgeon
• paste
• stab
• jab
• slog
• wallop
• stroke
• thwack
• biff
• butt
• rough
• beat
• cuff
• hang one on
• knee
• bung
• pummel
• maul
• slash
• lace
• dump
• pepper
• stamp
• pelt
• batter
• deck
• fell
• buffet
• drub
• cream
• whip
• lash
• mangle
• lambaste
• jostle
• scuff
• brain
• floor
• pommel
• club
• bunt
• skull
• cane
• spear
• bean
• knock down
• prod
• flail
• conk
• level
• switch
• bowl (down or over)
• sucker punch
• flog
• sap
• thrash
• cudgel
• sledgehammer
• sledge
• rabbit-punch

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arrest
• seize
• grab
• apprehend
• restrain
• run in
• detain
• jail
• pinch
• pull in
• nick
• capture
• nail
• nab
• snatch
• collar
• pick up
• commit
• trap
• catch
• hook
• snare
• incarcerate
• get
• land
• imprison
• confine
• snap (up)
• hold
• bag
• grapple
• bind
• handcuff
• lock (up)
• shackle
• jug
• intern
• trammel
• remand
• immure
• fetter
• manacle
• rearrest
• enchain

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discharge
• release
• loose
• loosen
• free
• spring
• liberate
• emancipate
• unbind
• unchain

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wear
• kill
• exhaust
• tire
• drain
• break
• weary
• waste
• wear out
• knock out
• harass
• burn out
• wash out
• fatigue
• fag
• tucker (out)
• outwear
• wear to a frazzle
• weaken
• frazzle
• do up
• do in
• debilitate
• sap
• enfeeble
• enervate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strengthen
• activate
• energize
• rest
• relax
• rejuvenate
• invigorate
• unwind
• vitalize

bust

3 of 3

adjective

variants or busted

as in bankrupt

Related Words

• bankrupt
• insolvent
• broke
• penniless
• needy
• bankrupted
• ruined
• impoverished
• poor
• destitute
• down-and-out
• penurious
• beggarly
• deprived
• impecunious
• indigent
• famished
• needful
• disadvantaged
• skint
• pinched
• beggared
• hard up
• threadbare
• pauperized
• dispossessed
• reduced
• poverty-stricken
• depressed
• dirt-poor
• underprivileged
• distressed
• necessitous
• short
• unaffluent
• tapped out
• possessionless
• straitened
• hardscrabble
• hand-to-mouth
• poorish
• low
• cash-strapped

Dissimilar Words

• prosperous
• comfortable
• fat
• flush
• wealthy
• rich
• opulent
• affluent
• moneyed
• well-to-do
• fat-cat
• silk-stocking
• well-off
• well-heeled
• deep-pocketed

Example Sentences

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

Three times in recent months, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has absolved military aviators caught on camera busting flight regulations. — Brynn Tannehill, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026

Moss recalled a bass fishing trip last fall when his son accidentally hooked Brooke in the shoulder while fish were busting on the surface in front of them. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 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