bust
1 of 4noun (1)
ˈbəst 
1
art : a sculptured representation of the upper part of the human figure including the head and neck and usually part of the shoulders and breast
has a bust of Abraham Lincoln in his office
2
: the upper part of the human torso between neck and waist
especially : the breasts of a woman
her bust size
bust
2 of 4verb
busted also bust; busting
transitive verb
1
a
: to break or smash especially with force
bust a window
also : to make inoperative
busted my watch
b
: to bring an end to : break up
helped bust trusts 
Newsweek
—often used with up Newsweek better not try to bust up his happy marriage — Forbes
c
: to ruin financially
the game of cheaters, which has busted more men than blackjack Arthur Mayse
Arthur Mayse d
: exhaust, wear out —used in phrases like bust one's butt to describe making a strenuous effort
e
: to tease or give a hard time to —often used in phrases like bust one's chops
I'm just busting your chops.
2
: tame
bronco busting
3
: demote
busted them to the bottom of the seniority list Time
Time4
slang
a
: arrest
busted for carrying guns Saul Gottlieb
Saul Gottlieb b
: raid
busted the apartment
5
: hit, slug
felt like busting him in the face
6
informal : to execute or perform (a difficult, elaborate, or acrobatic movement, as when dancing)
bust a dance move
Hot Hot Heat's jittery, caffeinated rhythms and disco grooves are helping persuade punk kids to bust a move … Christian Hoard
Christian Hoardintransitive verb
1
: to go broke
2
a
: burst
laughing fit to bust
b
: break down
Her camera busted.
3
a
card games : to lose at cards by exceeding a limit (such as the count of 21 in blackjack)
b
poker : to fail to complete a straight (see straight entry 4 sense 3) or flush
bust
3 of 4noun (2)
1
a
: spree
b
: a hearty drinking session
a beer bust
2
a
: a complete failure : flop
b
economics : a business depression (see depression sense 2)
boom and bust
3
: punch, sock
a good bust on the nose J. T. Farrell
J. T. Farrell4
law enforcement, slang
a
: a police raid (see raid entry 1 sense 2b)
b
: arrest sense 1
made a couple of drug busts
bust
4 of 4adjective
variants or busted
ˈbə-stəd
economics : bankrupt, broke
go bust
Synonyms
Verb
- break
- degrade
- demote
- disrate
- downgrade
- reduce
Noun (2)
- bang
- bash
- bat
- beat
- belt
- biff
- blow
- bop
- box
- buffet
- chop
- clap
- clip
- clout
- crack
- cuff
- dab
- douse [British]
- fillip
- hack
- haymaker
- hit
- hook
- knock
- larrup [dialect]
- lash
- lick
- pelt
- pick
- plump
- poke
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slap
- slug
- smack
- smash
- sock
- spank
- stinger
- stripe
- stroke
- swat
- swipe
- switch
- thud
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- welt
- whack
- wham
- whop
- whap
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb He busted his watch when he fell. I think the camera is busted. Police busted 12 gang members on weapons charges. She got busted for drug possession. Two students got busted by the teacher for smoking in the bathroom.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
borrowed from French & Italian; French buste "part of the torso above the waist," going back to Middle French, borrowed from Italian busto "tree trunk" (15th-century Upper Italian), "part of the torso above the waist, corset, sculpture or painting representing the head and upper body," going back to Vulgar Latin *būstis "trunk," perhaps alteration of Latin fūstis "stick, rod, cudgel" by crossing with a Celtic word of like meaning
Note: Outcomes of *būstis in Italy with the meaning "trunk" are attested in Upper Italian and to a limited degree in the south (see Lessico etimologico italiano); outside of Italy compare Old Occitan bustz "torso," Romansh (Engadine) büst, (Surselvan [dialect of the upper Rhine]) best "tree trunk, torso, body, bodice," Romanian buşteán "tree trunk." The traditional etymology of Italian busto connects it with classical Latin bustum "funeral pyre, burial mound" but the improbable notion of a transfer in sense from "burial mound" to "representation of the upper body" is not supported by the Romance evidence, which shows a clear progression "tree trunk" > "trunk of the body."
Verb
variant of burst entry 1 with assimilatory loss of /r/ before /s/
Note: See note at hoss
Noun (2)
derivative of bust entry 2
Adjective
from predicative use of bust entry 3
First Known Use
Noun (1)
1645, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1639, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2
Noun (2)
1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1b
Adjective
1836, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing bust
Kids Definition
bust 1 of 2
noun
ˈbəst
1
: a piece of sculpture representing the upper part of the human figure including the head and neck
2
: a woman's bosom
bust
2 of 2verb
busted; busting
1
: to hit with the fist
I'm sorry I busted your nose. Carl Hiaasen, Hoot
Carl Hiaasen, Hoot2
: break entry 1 sense 1
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
Relevance
- blow
- hit
- slap
- whack
- knock
- punch
- smack
- thump
- swipe
- bang
- pound
- stroke
- poke
- thud
- lick
- beat
- spank
- slam
- crack
- kick
- hook
- clap
- clip
- chop
- smash
- plump
- cuff
- belt
- pick
- hack
- sock
- bop
- swat
- bash
- slug
- bat
- knee
- rap
- switch
- lash
- wham
- pelt
- welt
- box
- biff
- whop
- fillip
- stripe
- swing
- stinger
- haymaker
- buffet
- clout
- dab
- licking
- wallop
- hand
- left
- beating
- pounding
- thwack
- douse
- right
- larrup
- whap
- counter
- body blow
- whip
- counterblow
- hammering
- sucker punch
- cruncher
- knockout
- roundhouse
- rabbit punch
- whipping
- knockdown
- shiver
- counterstroke
- counterpunch
- thrashing
- uppercut
- pummeling
- battering
- clobbering
- flogging
- drubbing
- bludgeoning
- walloping
- sidewinder
- pummelling
- pasting
- lambasting
- cudgelling
- kayo
- cudgeling
- bastinade
- KO
- one-two
- bastinado
- right-hander
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
- bomb
- flop
- catastrophe
- washout
- loser
- disappointment
- fiasco
- mess
- dud
- miss
- fizzle
- debacle
- shipwreck
- lemon
- turkey
- frost
- clunker
- bummer
- clinker
- débâcle
- botch
- near miss
- dog
- hash
- shambles
- has-been
- muddle
- nonevent
- nonstarter
- also-ran
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- success
- hit
- smash
- blockbuster
- winner
- phenomenon
- dandy
- crackerjack
- corker
- crackajack
- 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
- pinch
- apprehension
- seizure
- capture
- imprisonment
- entrapment
- restraint
- incarceration
- detention
- house arrest
- hold
- confinement
- captivity
- 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
- blowout
- jamboree
- revel
- wassail
- orgy
- kegger
- drunkenness
- keg party
- revelry
- bacchanalia
- jag
- inebriation
- bibbery
- intoxication
- tipsiness
- inebriety
- bibulousness
bust
2 of 3verb
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
- break
- dismiss
- fire
- degrade
- disrate
- can
- downsize
- lay off
- lower
- cashier
- humiliate
- humble
- demean
- debase
- abase
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- raise
- promote
- hire
- advance
- elevate
2
as in to ruin
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
- ruin
- bankrupt
- break
- reduce
- pauperize
- beggar
- wipe out
- impoverish
- straiten
- clean (out)
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
- crack
- smash
- burst
- disintegrate
- shatter
- split
- crush
- blast
- break up
- wreck
- explode
- rive
- grind
- pop
- powder
- dismember
- chip
- blow up
- detonate
- pulverize
- sliver
- shiver
- splinter
- implode
- atomize
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- fix
- rebuild
- repair
- patch
- reconstruct
- heal
- mend
- renovate
- doctor
- recondition
4
as in to smack
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
- smack
- hit
- slap
- bang
- knock
- punch
- whack
- slam
- crack
- clap
- strike
- pound
- clip
- kick
- bat
- swipe
- box
- bash
- nail
- hammer
- slug
- bonk
- thump
- clock
- rap
- push
- bop
- shove
- tap
- bump
- sock
- tag
- whale
- belt
- lick
- swat
- chop
- bob
- zap
- poke
- biff
- flick
- bludgeon
- clout
- butt
- smite
- wallop
- stab
- paste
- clobber
- slog
- thwack
- jab
- stroke
- cuff
- bung
- beat
- rough
- knee
- lace
- maul
- dump
- hang one on
- slash
- pelt
- batter
- stamp
- whip
- deck
- pummel
- buffet
- fell
- pepper
- lash
- cream
- mangle
- skull
- scuff
- jostle
- brain
- club
- pommel
- floor
- drub
- level
- bunt
- sledgehammer
- conk
- lambaste
- sucker punch
- spear
- flail
- bean
- knock down
- cane
- lambast
- switch
- prod
- flog
- sap
- cudgel
- sledge
- thrash
- rabbit-punch
- bowl (down or over)
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
- restrain
- apprehend
- nab
- jail
- pinch
- detain
- snatch
- nick
- capture
- nail
- collar
- trap
- catch
- run in
- commit
- hook
- pick up
- pull in
- get
- snare
- shackle
- land
- hold
- imprison
- confine
- bag
- handcuff
- snap (up)
- bind
- jug
- incarcerate
- grapple
- intern
- trammel
- fetter
- lock (up)
- immure
- remand
- manacle
- rearrest
- enchain
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- discharge
- loose
- release
- loosen
- spring
- free
- liberate
- emancipate
- unchain
- unbind
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
- waste
- break
- weary
- fatigue
- wear out
- knock out
- burn out
- harass
- wash out
- fag
- outwear
- frazzle
- weaken
- wear to a frazzle
- tucker (out)
- do up
- do in
- sap
- debilitate
- enfeeble
- enervate
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- strengthen
- rest
- activate
- relax
- rejuvenate
- unwind
- energize
- invigorate
- vitalize
bust
3 of 3adjective
variants or busted
as in bankrupt
Synonyms & Similar Words
- bankrupt
- broke
- bankrupted
- insolvent
- penniless
- ruined
- hard up
- beggared
- pauperized
- needy
- skint
- impoverished
- poor
- destitute
- penurious
- beggarly
- pinched
- deprived
- impecunious
- famished
- indigent
- disadvantaged
- reduced
- needful
- threadbare
- dispossessed
- depressed
- possessionless
- unaffluent
- down-and-out
- poverty-stricken
- tapped out
- short
- distressed
- underprivileged
- dirt-poor
- necessitous
- poorish
- straitened
- hardscrabble
- low
- cash-strapped
- hand-to-mouth
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- prosperous
- comfortable
- fat
- flush
- wealthy
- rich
- opulent
- moneyed
- monied
- affluent
- fat-cat
- silk-stocking
- well-to-do
- well-heeled
- deep-pocketed
- well-off