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
2
as in disaster
something that has failed
the first movie was a hit, but the sequel was an unexpected bust
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to bankrupt
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 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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to hit
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 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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or busted
as in bankrupt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of bust
Jim Reineking, USA Today, 6 May 2025
Dubois signed a cap-squeezing eight-year, $68-million contract with Blake, then promptly proved to be a bust, setting career lows with 16 goals and 24 assists.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2025
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 May 2025
Dude, those Xfinity guys were busting their a** all over the place.
—Lydia Mee, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2024
And while those payments crimped Spotify’s profits, and the company has lately struggled to sell stock investors on a convincing growth story, Spotify is also not about to go bust.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 2 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bust
Noun
Others – JaMarcus Russell, Terry Baker – were total busts in the NFL.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 6 May 2025
Dubois signed a cap-squeezing eight-year, $68-million contract with Blake, then promptly proved to be a bust, setting career lows with 16 goals and 24 assists.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2025
Verb
On his popular TikTok channel, Joe busts tweakers with Daisy, the now-grown gator, as his sidekick.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 May 2025
Dude, those Xfinity guys were busting their a** all over the place.
—Lydia Mee, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
Adjective
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
And while those payments crimped Spotify’s profits, and the company has lately struggled to sell stock investors on a convincing growth story, Spotify is also not about to go bust.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 2 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bust
Noun
-
In the rear of an IndyCar vehicle is a safety device called an attenuator, designed to cushion the blow from a rear impact into the wall.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
-
The lawyers claim the measure signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis this month has already dealt significant blows to campaigns to expand Medicaid and legalize recreational marijuana in the state.—
Kate Payne,
Sun Sentinel,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
States like Florida could be forced to assume billions in costs for health care and disaster preparedness.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
17 May 2025
-
Melissa Bumstead, an environmental advocate and San Fernando Valley resident, urged the Board of Environmental Safety to consider factoring disaster debris into the hazardous waste plan.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2025
Noun
-
Alice's dinner at the Harrigan house goes south fast, leading to Conrad and Maeve's arrest.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
-
Police reports since 2023 include a call to clear the building, a property damage report, a trespassing arrest and a reported robbery in March.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
Cruise plays a hit man, Vincent, who forces his cabdriver, played by Jamie Foxx, to drive him around Los Angeles on a contract-killing spree.—
Tyler Foggatt,
New Yorker,
24 May 2025
-
Rather than earn its namesake by using said freedom to go on a killing spree, Murderbot decides to just… quietly binge TV shows.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
Their original sentences, which were 12 years and seven years, respectively, were reduced in September 2023.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
28 May 2025
-
With Bayern aiming to reduce their wage bill, the Wirtz signing would have come at the cost of at least an extra €20million (£16.8m, $22.7m) per year, on top of a transfer fee somewhere between €100m and €150m.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
After all, more than half of the Fortune 500 companies from 2000 no longer exist, having been bankrupted, acquired or pushed out of existence, largely due to some form of digital disruption.—
Chandra Pemmasani,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
-
But that only attracted sharp bettors, who nearly bankrupted the startup.—
Will Yakowicz,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
What Could Move The Market? Several factors could disrupt the current market calm: European Tariff Deadline: President Trump has postponed the implementation of a 50% tariff on European Union goods to July 9, 2025.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
-
An extended pause in scheduling student visas could lead to delays that may disrupt college, boarding-school or exchange students’ plans to enroll in summer and fall terms.—
Annie Ma,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
The Reds are hitting .267/.348/.406 with a lead, .237/.311/.405 when tied and .223/.295/.369 when behind.—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
26 May 2025
-
That's because the bill also includes a $4 trillion increase in the debt ceiling, a measure that must be approved in order to prevent a catastrophic default on the country's debt that could hit sometime in August.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bust. Accessed 31 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share