Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense bursts, present participle burstinglanguage note: The form burst is used in the present tense and is the past tense and past participle.
1. verb
If something bursts or if you burst it, it suddenly breaks open or splits open and the air or other substance inside it comes out.
The driver lost control when a tyre burst. [VERB]
It is not a good idea to burst a blister. [VERB noun]
...a flood caused by a burst pipe. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: explode, blow up, break, split More Synonyms of burst
2. verb
If a dam bursts, or if something bursts it, it breaks apart because the force of the river is too great.
A dam burst and flooded their villages. [VERB]
[Also VERB noun]
Synonyms: rush, run, break, pour More Synonyms of burst
3. verb
If a river bursts its banks, the water rises and goes on to the land.
Monsoons caused the river to burst its banks. [VERB noun]
4. verb
When a door or lid bursts open, it opens very suddenly and violently because someone pushes it or there is great pressure behind it.
The door burst open and an angry young nurse appeared. [Vopen]
[Also Vapart]
5. verb
To burstinto or out of a place means to enter or leave it suddenly with a lot of energy or force.
Gunmen burst into his home and opened fire. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Rachel burst out as the door was flung open again. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Synonyms: barge, charge, rush, tear More Synonyms of burst
6. verb
If you say that something bursts onto the scene, you mean that it suddenly starts or becomes active, usually after developing quietly for some time.
[journalism]
He burst onto the fashion scene in the early 1980s. [V + onto/upon]
7. verb
If you say that someone is about to burstwith pride, anger, or another emotion, you are emphasizing the intensity of the emotion they are feeling.
[written, emphasis]
He almost burst with pride when his son John began to excel at football. [VERBwith noun]
He thought his heart would burst with grief. [VERBwith noun]
[Also VERB]
8. verb
When a firework or bomb bursts in the air, it explodes.
Hundreds of fireworks burst simultaneously in midair. [VERB]
Every now and then you hear some bombs bursting. [VERB]
Synonyms: explode, go off, blow up, detonate More Synonyms of burst
9. countable noun
A burstof something is a sudden short period of it.
...a burst of machine-gun fire. [+ of]
It is easier to cope with short bursts of activity than with prolonged exercise.
The current flows in little bursts.
Synonyms: explosion, crack, blast, blasting More Synonyms of burst
Phrasal verbs:
See burst into
See burst out
More Synonyms of burst
burst in British English
(bɜːst)
verbWord forms: bursts, bursting or burst
1.
to break or cause to break open or apart suddenly and noisily, esp from internal pressure; explode
2. (intransitive)
to come, go, etc, suddenly and forcibly
he burst into the room
3. (intransitive)
to be full to the point of breaking open
4. (intransitive)
to give vent (to) suddenly or loudly
to burst into song
to burst out crying
5.
to cause or suffer the rupture of
to burst a blood vessel
noun
6.
a sudden breaking open or apart; explosion
7.
a break; breach; rupture
8.
a sudden display or increase of effort or action; spurt
a burst of speed
9.
a sudden and violent emission, occurrence, or outbreak
a burst of heavy rain
a burst of applause
10.
a volley of fire from a weapon or weapons
adjective
11.
broken apart; ruptured
a burst pipe
Derived forms
burster (ˈburster)
noun
Word origin
Old English berstan; related to Old Norse bresta, Old Frisian bersta, Old High German brestan; compare break
burst in American English
(bɜrst)
verb intransitiveWord forms: burst or ˈbursting
1.
to come apart suddenly and violently, as from internal pressure; fly into pieces; break open or out; explode
2.
to give sudden expression to some feeling; break (into tears, laughter, a tirade, etc.)
3.
to go, come, start, appear, etc. suddenly and with force
he burst into the room
4.
a.
to be as full, crowded, or packed as possible
b.
to be filled (with anger, pride, energy, etc.)
verb transitive
5.
to cause to burst; make explode
6.
to fill or cause to swell to the bursting point
noun
7.
the act of bursting; explosion, as of an artillery shell
8.
the result of a bursting; break; rupture
9.
a sudden, violent display of feeling
10.
a sudden, forceful action; spurt
a burst of speed
11.
a volley of shots, or a single series of shots from an automatic firearm
Word origin
ME bresten, bersten < OE berstan & ON bresta, both < IE base *bhres-, to burst, break, crack
More idioms containing
burst
the bubble has burst
burst at the seams
Examples of 'burst' in a sentence
burst
The fact the exercise is a short burst really fit into my busy life.
The Sun (2016)
She arrives on stage in a dazzling costume to a burst of applause.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He looked up at me and burst into tears.
The Sun (2016)
Presumably enabling you to see your pipes burst on action replay.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The reaction to the video was like a dam bursting.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We were having a great time when suddenly he burst a blood vessel.
The Sun (2016)
An unnamed young man died from a single shot to the chest when a gang knocked on the front door and burst in.
The Sun (2016)
This week another monster storm suddenly burst into life in the Atlantic.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I feel fit to burst with civic pride.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
When cool enough to handle, score a cross in the top of the jacket potatoes and pinch the base of each one so they burst open.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They would just be chatting and suddenly burst into giggles.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
This is a book bursting with inspiring ideas.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Also baked beans for that sudden burst of energy.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
One character cried so much she burst a blood vessel.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The heavy contraption would quite certainly bring the building down and would itself burst open.
Eric Newby A BOOK OF LANDS AND PEOPLES (2003)
So is this burst of speed sustainable?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Turning up at home to find a pipe has burst and flooded my house?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
It will make your heart burst with pride.
The Sun (2016)
The mere mention of his name causes them to burst into tears in grief.
The Sun (2012)
Short bursts of exercise speed up your metabolism.
The Sun (2011)
Then suddenly the door burst open and a man ran in.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Then a burst of automatic fire came from the forest below the village.
Marsden, Philip The Crossing-Place (1993)
The dam burst just before the hour.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Which is when the blood vessel burst in his eye.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The whole dream just burst apart in the space of a few seconds.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
When the blister burst he was left with a hole down to his muscle.
The Sun (2014)
Short bursts of incidental daylight as you go about your business should be sufficient for most people.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
When she finished there were bursts of honest applause.
LM Montgomery Anne of Green Gables (1872)
The one with the shaky hand who kept bursting into tears for no reason.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
burst
British English: burst /bɜːst/ VERB
When something bursts or when you burst it, it suddenly splits open, and air or some other substance comes out.
A tyre burst.
American English: burst
Arabic: يَنْفَجِر
Brazilian Portuguese: estourar
Chinese: 爆裂
Croatian: puknuti
Czech: prasknout
Danish: udbrud
Dutch: barsten
European Spanish: reventar
Finnish: haljeta
French: éclater
German: platzen
Greek: σκάω
Italian: scoppiare
Japanese: 破裂する
Korean: 폭발하다
Norwegian: revne
Polish: wybuchnąć
European Portuguese: estourar
Romanian: a exploda
Russian: лопнуть
Latin American Spanish: reventar
Swedish: spricka
Thai: ระเบิด
Turkish: patlamak delinerek
Ukrainian: лопатися
Vietnamese: xì
All related terms of 'burst'
burst out
If someone bursts out laughing , crying , or making another noise , they suddenly start making that noise. You can also say that a noise bursts out .
burst into
If you burst into tears , laughter , or song , you suddenly begin to cry , laugh , or sing .
word burst
a greater than normal rate of occurrence of a particular word in a given context , esp in weblogs
gamma-ray burst
an intense but short-lived burst of gamma rays from an unknown celestial source. First detected in 1970, they have since been found to be widely distributed in the sky
burst at the seams
to be completely full of people or things
the bubble has burst
said to mean that a situation or idea which was very successful has suddenly stopped being successful
to burst into flames
If something bursts into flames or bursts into flame , it suddenly starts burning strongly.
break into song/burst into song
If someone bursts into song or breaks into song , they start singing .
Chinese translation of 'burst'
burst
(bəːst)
Word forms:ptppburst
vt
[bag, balloon]爆炸 (bàozhà)
[river][banks etc]溃(潰)决(決) (kuìjué)
vi
[pipe, tyre]爆裂 (bàoliè)
n(c)
[of gunfire, applause, laughter]一阵(陣) (yīzhèn)
to burst into flames突然着(著)火 (tūrán zháohuǒ)
to burst into tears突然大哭起来(來) (tūrán dàkū qǐlái)
to burst out laughing突然大笑起来(來) (tūrán dàxiào qǐlái)
to be bursting with (= full of) 挤(擠)满(滿) (jǐmǎn) [pride, curiosity]充满(滿) (chōngmǎn)
to be bursting to do sth (inf) 急于(於)做某事 (jíyú zuò mǒushì)
to burst open[door etc]猛然打开(開) (měngrán dǎkāi)
a burst of energy/activity一股劲(勁)/一阵(陣)行动(動) (yīgǔjìn/yīzhèn xíngdòng)
a burst pipe破裂的水管 (pòliè de shuǐguǎn)
a burst blood vessel爆裂的血管 (bàoliè de xuèguǎn)
All related terms of 'burst'
burst into
( room etc ) 闯(闖)入 chuǎngrù
burst in on
( person ) 突然出现(現) tūrán chūxiàn
a burst pipe
破裂的水管 pòliè de shuǐguǎn
burst out of
( room etc ) 冲(衝)出 chōngchū
to burst open
( door etc ) 猛然打开(開) měngrán dǎkāi
a burst blood vessel
爆裂的血管 bàoliè de xuèguǎn
to burst into flames
突然着(著)火 tūrán zháohuǒ
to burst into tears
哭起来(來) kū qǐlái
to burst out laughing
突然大笑起来(來) tūrán dàxiào qǐlái
a burst of energy/activity
一股劲(勁)/一阵(陣)行动(動) yīgǔjìn/yīzhèn xíngdòng
she is prone to burst into tears if ...
如果 ... 她动(動)辄(輒)就哭 rúguǒ ... tā dòngzhé jiù kū
he had hardly sat down when the door burst open
他一坐下门(門)就被猛地打开(開)了 tā yī zuòxià mén jiù bèi měng de dǎkāi le
1 (verb)
Definition
a sudden and violent occurrence or outbreak
The driver lost control when a tyre burst.She burst the balloon with a pin.
Synonyms
explode
blow up
break
He fell through the window, breaking the glass.
split
In a severe gale the ship split in two.
crack
A gas main had cracked under my neighbour's garage.
Crack the salt crust and you will find the skin just peels off the fish.
shatter
Safety glass won't shatter if it's broken.
fragment
It's an exploded fracture – the bones have fragmented.
shiver (archaic, literary)
disintegrate
puncture
rupture
Tanks can rupture and burn in a collision.
rend asunder
tear apart
fly open
2 (verb)
Definition
to come or go suddenly and forcibly
Water burst through the dam and flooded their villages.
Synonyms
rush
Water rushes out of huge tunnels.
run
cisterns to catch rainwater as it ran off the walls
break
pour
Blood was pouring from his broken nose.
jet
A cloud of white smoke jetted out from the trees.
surge
The crowd surged out from the church.
spill
When the bell rings, more than 1,000 children spill from the classrooms.
break out
erupt
cascade
A waterfall cascades down the cliff from the hills.
spout
In a storm, water spouts out of the blowhole just like a whale.
gush forth
3 (verb)
Definition
to come or go suddenly and forcibly
Burglars burst into his home while he was eating breakfast.
Synonyms
barge
charge
He charged into the room.
rush
Someone inside the building rushed out.
tear
The door flew open and she tore into the room.
plunge
I plunged forward, calling her name.
dash
Suddenly she dashed out into the garden.
shove
hurtle
A pretty young girl came hurtling down the stairs.
4 (verb)
Definition
to break or cause to break open or apart suddenly and noisily
Every now and then you hear some bombs bursting.
Synonyms
explode
They managed to evacuate all the civilians before the bomb exploded.
go off
A gun went off somewhere in the distance.
blow up
The bomb blew up over the countryside.
detonate
an explosive device which detonated last night
go bang (informal)
1 (noun)
Definition
a sudden increase of effort
short bursts of activity
Synonyms
rush
A rush of affection swept over him.
surge
He was overcome by a sudden surge of jealousy.
fit
I broke into a fit of giggles.
outbreak
an outbreak of violence involving hundreds of youths
This outbreak of flu is no worse than normal.
outburst
an outburst of anger
spate
an incomprehensible spate of words
gush
I heard a gush of water.
torrent
A torrent of water rushed into the reservoir.
eruption
spurt
I flushed bright red as a spurt of anger flashed through me.
outpouring
The news of his death produced an instant outpouring of grief.
2 (noun)
Definition
an instance of breaking open suddenly
a burst of fireworks
Synonyms
explosion
Three people were badly injured in a bomb explosion.
crack
Suddenly there was a loud crack and glass flew into the air.
blast
a gas blast at a coal mine
blasting
bang
I heard four or five loud bangs.
discharge
Where firearms are kept at home, the risk of accidental discharge is high.
(adjective)
a burst tyre
Synonyms
ruptured
flat
It was impossible to ride with a flat tyre.
punctured
split
a split finger nail
rent
idiom
See burst into tears
phrasal verb
See burst out
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bang
Definition
a short loud explosive noise, such as the report of a gun