bust - Wiktionary, the free dictionary


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From Middle English busten, a variant of Middle English bursten, bresten (“to burst”). Compare German Low German basten and barsten (“to burst”). More at burst.

bust (third-person singular simple present busts, present participle busting, simple past and past participle busted or bust)

  1. (transitive, colloquial, chiefly US) To break.

    I busted my cooker while trying to fix it.

  2. (transitive, slang) To arrest (someone) for a crime.

    Aaron got busted by the feds for leaking confidential government documents on Reddit.

  3. (transitive, slang) To catch (someone) in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal, especially when being done in a sneaky or secretive state.
  4. (transitive) To debunk, dispel (a belief).
  5. (snowboarding) An emphatic synonym of do or get.

    He busted huge air off that jump!

  6. (US, informal) To reduce in rank.

    He busted him down to patrolman for insubordination.

    • 1962, The Manchurian Candidate, 01:56:35
      If Steinkamp doesn't take off that hat and stop messing around, I'm gonna bust him into a PFC.
  7. (finance, transitive) To undo a trade, generally an error trade, that has already been executed.
  8. (poker) To lose all of one's chips.
  9. (blackjack) To exceed a score of 21.
  10. (transitive, slang) To break in (an animal).

    • 1997, Charles Oswald, Gone with the Western Wind:

      A few weeks later, Richard was killed accidentally while busting a wild mustang […]

  11. (transitive, slang) To break in (a woman or girl), to deflower

    • 2014, Tison Pugh, Truman Capote: A Literary Life at the Movies‎[1], page 127:

      Smith hears Nancy's protests - "Don't ... no, please don't." - when Hicock menaces her with "You ever had a man?" Finding Hicock rubbing her thigh as she whimpers in fear, Smith confronts him about his intentions, and Hicock says, "First, I'm going to bust that little girl." Smith tells him no, but Hicock replies, "What do you care? You can bust her too."

  12. (intransitive, vulgar, slang) To ejaculate; to eject semen or to squirt.

    I busted a fat one just wackin' it to the selfie she sent me.

    • 1996, Lil' Kim (lyrics and music), “Not Tonight”:

      After ten times we fucked, I think I bust twice
      He was nice, kept my neck filled with ice

  13. (journalism, intransitive) For a headline to exceed the amount of space reserved for it.

    • 1990, Paul Williams, The Computerized Newspaper: A Practical Guide for Systems Users, page 105:

      The temptation to squeeze in a favourite headline that busts by using the flexibility of new technology is often very strong.

    • 2007, Rob Steen, Sports Journalism: A Multimedia Primer, page 167:

      If your headline busts (breaks the confines of the layout) you will know straightaway. Similarly, the computer will inform you, in terms of the number of lines, how much longer or shorter the copy is in relation to the space allotted.

  14. (chess, slang) To refute an established opening.

    • 2012 April 2, Frederic Friedel, “Rajlich: Busting the King's Gambit, this time for sure”, in ChessBase‎[2]:

      So is the King's Gambit really busted?

  15. (slang, African-American Vernacular, transitive) To shoot (a gun).

    He busted his glock.

  16. (slang, African-American Vernacular, intransitive) To attack, hit or insult (someone).

    He's always busting on you.

  17. (slang) To do or perform; to move quickly.

    Bust a left turn.

  • (to arrest for a crime): nick

(slang) to arrest for a crime

(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal

snowboarding: an emphatic synonym of to do or to get — see do,‎ get

bust (plural busts)

  1. (slang) The act of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation.

    a narcotics bust

  2. (slang) A police raid or takedown of a criminal enterprise.
  3. (slang) A failed enterprise; a bomb.
  4. (chess, slang) A refutation of an opening, or of a previously published analysis.
  5. (slang) A disappointment.
  6. (sports, derogatory) A player who fails to meet expectations.
  7. (economics) The downward portion of a boom and bust cycle; a recession.
  8. (slang, dated) A spree, unrestrained revel, or wild party.

act of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation

economics: the downward portion of a boom and bust cycle; a recession — see recession

bust (not comparable)

  1. (slang) Without any money, broke, bankrupt.

    After months of financial problems, the company finally went bust.

 
Bust of Marie Antoinette
 
The Bust of Pericles with the Corinthian Helmet, Roman after a Greek original, from circa 430 BC, made of marble

Borrowed from French buste, from Italian busto (“torso, upper body”), from Latin bustum (“funeral monument, tomb," originally "funeral pyre, place where corpses are burned”). Perhaps shortened from Latin ambustum, neuter of ambustus (“scorched”), past participle of ambūrō (“burn all over, scorch”), from ambi- (“around”) + ūrō (“to burn”).

bust (plural busts)

  1. A sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders.
  2. The circumference of a woman's chest around her breasts.

sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders

breasts and upper thorax of a woman

Borrowed from Italian busto.

bust m (plural busts or bustos)

  1. bust (sculpture)
  2. bust (breasts and upper thorax)

bust

  1. inflection of bussen:
    1. second/third-person singular present indicative
    2. (archaic) plural imperative

Borrowed from French buste.

bust n (plural busturi)

  1. bust (sculpture)