as in broken
forcibly separated into many pieces
a busted headlight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also bust
1
as in demoted
to bring to a lower grade or rank
the commander threatened to bust her for failing to salute
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ruined
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disrupted
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in knocked
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
5
as in arrested
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in killed
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of busted
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
Moore suffered a possible broken nose and busted lip, the warrant said.
—
Charlotte Observer,
1 June 2026
Makar may be part cyborg, but even the tightest machines can’t hide a busted axle.
—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
Here is the story of Eternally Yours, the first-ever busted script featured on Dead Pilots Society to subsequently make it to series.
—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
1 May 2026
Anyone with a busted NCAA Tournament bracket can still appreciate the bracket one mom has put up on her family's wall in Chicago's southwest suburbs.
—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
McAneney had a busted lip and a scratch underneath his right eye in his mugshot.
—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Offices are buzzing about busted brackets, surprise upsets, Cinderella stories, and who’s cutting down the nets.
—
Kelsey Monstrola,
USA Today,
17 Mar. 2026
Each year, March Madness can leave you with a busted bracket, so give yourself another chance to pick a winner with The Courier Journal's Louisville nachos tournament.
—
Leo Bertucci,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Mar. 2026
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
1 July 2026
Samuel Murphy is a war veteran who has been busted and sent to a notorious prison camp.
—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
25 June 2026
However, some members of the Hole in the Wall Gang got busted in 1981 for stealing from a home furnishings store, and Cullotta — one of those busted — became an informant.
—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
The King and Queen busted a few moves, to the delight of the players.
—
Pete Grathoff
june 21,
Kansas City Star,
21 June 2026
Those guys have busted their tails.
—
Rick Stroud,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 June 2026
Well, that gives me all the more motivation to bust right through that thing.
—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
Vasquez had busted a hole through his attic ceiling with a tire tool, saving his wife, daughter, and two young grandchildren from drowning in their home.
—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
At one point, Cutaia enlisted his wife to contact John Doe #1 of his behalf and demand an immediate cash infusion after he was busted for erratic diving in Indiana.
—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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
Moore suffered a possible broken nose and busted lip, the warrant said.
—
Charlotte Observer,
1 June 2026
Makar may be part cyborg, but even the tightest machines can’t hide a busted axle.
—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
Here is the story of Eternally Yours, the first-ever busted script featured on Dead Pilots Society to subsequently make it to series.
—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
1 May 2026
Anyone with a busted NCAA Tournament bracket can still appreciate the bracket one mom has put up on her family's wall in Chicago's southwest suburbs.
—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
McAneney had a busted lip and a scratch underneath his right eye in his mugshot.
—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Offices are buzzing about busted brackets, surprise upsets, Cinderella stories, and who’s cutting down the nets.
—
Kelsey Monstrola,
USA Today,
17 Mar. 2026
Each year, March Madness can leave you with a busted bracket, so give yourself another chance to pick a winner with The Courier Journal's Louisville nachos tournament.
—
Leo Bertucci,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
Corporations have already busted their spending record set in 2024 — $461 million then, compared to $517 million as of June this year.
—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
1 July 2026
Samuel Murphy is a war veteran who has been busted and sent to a notorious prison camp.
—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
25 June 2026
However, some members of the Hole in the Wall Gang got busted in 1981 for stealing from a home furnishings store, and Cullotta — one of those busted — became an informant.
—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
The King and Queen busted a few moves, to the delight of the players.
—
Pete Grathoff
june 21,
Kansas City Star,
21 June 2026
Those guys have busted their tails.
—
Rick Stroud,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 June 2026
Well, that gives me all the more motivation to bust right through that thing.
—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
Vasquez had busted a hole through his attic ceiling with a tire tool, saving his wife, daughter, and two young grandchildren from drowning in their home.
—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
At one point, Cutaia enlisted his wife to contact John Doe #1 of his behalf and demand an immediate cash infusion after he was busted for erratic diving in Indiana.
—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
15 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for busted
Adjective
-
Bowser, who declined to be interviewed for this article, urged the administration to clean up federal parks and fix broken fountains, while pushing back on measures like having police ask for people’s immigration status.
-
Stopped wearing your favorite pumps because of a broken heel?
Verb
-
Teng gets a ‘breather’ The Astros demoted Kai-Wei Teng to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday.
-
She was transferred against her wishes from ELAC to Pierce College in Woodland Hills in May 1989 and was demoted from journalism head to an instructor, according to Times reporting.
Verb
-
Croatia still furious Despite the correct decision being made, Croatia manager Zlatko Dalić was far from happy, saying VAR had ruined the spirit of the game.
-
Bovary is in some sense a morality tale, but what lifts it above didacticism, along with its bone-deep interiority, is that its romantic plotlines are as addictive as the genre works that have ruined poor Emma Bovary.
Verb
-
The dangerous temperatures have already disrupted several events scheduled for Friday.
-
The overlap of two warming patterns — one regional and one climate-scale — could compound stress on marine food webs that have already been repeatedly disrupted over the past decade.
Verb
-
Tatis led off and knocked Boyd's fifth pitch over the left-field bleachers onto Waveland Avenue, before Chicago answered in the bottom of the inning when Seiya Suzuki scored on Carson Kelly's RBI single.
-
Kale said her 11-year-old and 16-year-old sons knocked the bat off her and killed it.
Verb
-
There was briefly some concern earlier this year that Chestnut wouldn’t be able to participate in the 2026 competition after he was arrested for allegedly slapping a man in an Indiana bar.
-
Authorities have arrested more than a half dozen people related in relation to Reflecting Pool damage, including former Olympian David Hearn, who was indicted last week on a felony of property destruction.
Verb
-
Historians estimate that the North American epidemic killed at least 100,000 to 130,000 people over several years.
-
Wednesday marked one year since an explosion at a Northern California fireworks facility killed seven workers and changed the lives of their families forever.
Adjective
-
At some parties during the American Revolution, hosts suffered shattered glasses, servingware and even furniture.
-
The ex-president saw shattered tiles in the roadway and homeless people sleeping on street corners in a city whose police department had recommended drivers stay in the middle lane to avoid carjackers.
Cite this Entry
“Busted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/busted. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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