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
busted also bust; busting
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 upNewsweekbetter not try to bust up his happy marriage—Forbes
Forbes
c
: to ruin financially
the game of cheaters, which has busted more men than blackjack—Arthur Mayse
Arthur Mayse
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
Time6
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 Hoard1
: 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
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
4
law enforcement, slang
a
: a police raid (see raid entry 1 sense 2b)
b
: arrest sense 1
made a couple of drug busts
Synonyms
Verb
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
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
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
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
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 
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.
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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
Dictionary Entries Near bust
Cite this Entry
“Bust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bust. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bust
1 of 3 noun1
: 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
buster
noun
bust
3 of 3 nounEtymology
Noun
from French buste "head and shoulders sculpture," from Italian busto (same meaning), from Latin bustum "tomb"
Verb
an altered form of burst
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