bust

1 of 4

noun (1)

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 4

verb

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 trustsNewsweek
often used with up
better not try to bust up his happy marriageForbes
c
: to ruin financially
the game of cheaters, which has busted more men than blackjackArthur 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 listTime
4
slang
a
: arrest
busted for carrying gunsSaul 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

intransitive 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 4

noun (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 noseJ. T. Farrell
4
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 4

adjective

variants or busted
economics : bankrupt, broke
go bust

Examples of bust in a Sentence

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. Noun (2) delivered a bust to the boxer's chops the first movie was a hit, but the sequel was an unexpected bust those lowlifes were nabbed for drug dealing in a massive bust last month a bunch of underage kids having a beer bust while the parents were away for the weekend
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Border Enforcement Security Team (BEST) assumed custody of the contraband and launched a criminal investigation into the drug bust. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 Harold and the Purple Crayon—a summer family movie bust starring Zachary Levi—has found a big audience on Netflix. Tim Lammers, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
For the first time, wellness experts from Healthy Minds will be available live on election night, November 5, to provide meditation and stress busting tips, Davidson said in an email. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 23 Oct. 2024 Further investigation of the restaurant led German authorities to bust a drug ring around the City of Düsseldorf. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 23 Oct. 2024
Adjective
In boom times as well as bust, the U.S. has outperformed. Frank Holmes, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 And last year, when Silicon Valley Bank—favored by startups—was about to go bust, the U.S. Treasury Department, the U.S. Federal Reserve, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, came to its customers’ rescue. Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for bust 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of bust was in 1639

Dictionary Entries Near bust

Cite this Entry

“Bust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bust. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

bust

1 of 3 noun
1
: a piece of sculpture representing the upper part of the human figure including the human head and neck
2
: the upper part of the human body
especially : the breasts of a woman

bust

2 of 3 verb
busted also bust; busting
1
a
: to break or smash with force
busted my watch
b
: to bring an end to : break up sense 2
c
: to ruin or become ruined financially
d
: exhaust entry 1 sense 1b, wear sense 3c
used in phrases like bust one's butt to describe the act of trying very hard
2
: to tame an animal
bust a bronco
3
: demote
4
5
buster noun

bust

3 of 3 noun
1
2
: a complete failure : flop
3
slang : a police raid or arrest
Etymology

Noun

from French buste "head and shoulders sculpture," from Italian busto (same meaning), from Latin bustum "tomb"

Verb

an altered form of burst

More from Merriam-Webster on bust

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