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
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
Back then, touring on a busted bus was the dream.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 9 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
Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and CHP officers blocked off the shooting scene around a white sedan with front-end damage, a busted windshield and deployed airbags.
—City News Service, Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Miami unlocked the deep game just before halftime, taking advantage of a busted coverage for a 52-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Keelan Marion.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Miami unlocked the deep game just before halftime, taking advantage of a busted coverage for a 52-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Keelan Marion.
—Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
Mac Engel
april 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026
The trucking industry in general has been struggling to bounce back for years after experiencing an unprecedented boom, then bust, through the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
So there’s no use in dwelling on the details, and there’s nothing like one-way airfare to bust your life open anyway.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
The last of the muscle heads would be busted when Danny Lugo's girlfriend, Sabina Petrescu, told police that Lugo was hiding out in the Bahamas.
—Troy Roberts, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Rooted in a combustible mix of left-wing populism and petro-state largesse, the movement secured loyalty through social programs funded by an oil boom that has long since turned to bust.
—Boris Muñoz, Time, 3 Apr. 2026
So the pig pulled out two old warrants and busted him on them.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Here are a couple of myths the experts busted.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Then, during Hurricane Helene in September 2024, the box finally busted open.
—Natalia V. Osipova, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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
Back then, touring on a busted bus was the dream.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 9 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
Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and CHP officers blocked off the shooting scene around a white sedan with front-end damage, a busted windshield and deployed airbags.
—City News Service, Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Miami unlocked the deep game just before halftime, taking advantage of a busted coverage for a 52-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Keelan Marion.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Miami unlocked the deep game just before halftime, taking advantage of a busted coverage for a 52-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Keelan Marion.
—Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
Caught in this scenario is his sport that still needs him, busted parts and all, but would love nothing more than for the focus to be on the great players who are playing its most famous tournament.
—Mac Engel
april 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026
The trucking industry in general has been struggling to bounce back for years after experiencing an unprecedented boom, then bust, through the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
So there’s no use in dwelling on the details, and there’s nothing like one-way airfare to bust your life open anyway.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
The last of the muscle heads would be busted when Danny Lugo's girlfriend, Sabina Petrescu, told police that Lugo was hiding out in the Bahamas.
—Troy Roberts, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Rooted in a combustible mix of left-wing populism and petro-state largesse, the movement secured loyalty through social programs funded by an oil boom that has long since turned to bust.
—Boris Muñoz, Time, 3 Apr. 2026
So the pig pulled out two old warrants and busted him on them.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Here are a couple of myths the experts busted.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Then, during Hurricane Helene in September 2024, the box finally busted open.
—Natalia V. Osipova, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for busted
Adjective
-
Winton, the class clown and semi-pariah who fits the stereotype of the clingy, maladjusted product of a broken home.—
Jean Garnett,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Troopers responded to the area and found broken glass from the front door of the God's Grace Missionary Baptist Church.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mavromatis alleges that she was demoted and then fired.—
Stacy Perman,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
After an investigation, the lawsuit says Mavromatis was demoted to social media manager of merchandise.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The City of Fort Lauderdale has been in need of a new city hall after the historic flooding of April 2023 ruined its old city hall.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, the everyday American who borrowed in good faith has been pursued, garnished and financially ruined when things go wrong, while the universities that pocketed the money walk away without consequence.—
Michael Carbonara,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Now, with missiles intercepted over Gulf capitals and air travel repeatedly disrupted, the long-standing stability of Dubai expat life is being questioned.—
Emma Graham,Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The case stems from the September 2024 fire at the BioLab facility, which sent a large plume of smoke into the air, forced more than 17,000 people to evacuate and about 90,000 others to shelter in place, and disrupted nearby businesses and neighborhoods.—
Jamal Goss,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That opportunity knocked Monday for Baxley.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Utah retook the lead not even two minutes later when Hart found himself out of position and Vegas defenseman Kaeden Korczak knocked the puck into his own net, though it was officially credited to Kevin Stenlund.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
He gets arrested for shoplifting.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The Riverside County Sheriff's Office arrested two teens for allegedly killing a 16-year-old last year.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
None of this comes as news to British Jews, still reeling from an attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur last October, in which two people were killed.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
-
One person was killed and another hospitalized after a stabbing attack in Burbank Monday, according to authorities.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Aerial footage showed the sedan parked next to the center divider, with at least one shattered window.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Mullett says her injuries included a broken back, a broken left leg, a shattered pelvis and head trauma.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Busted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/busted. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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