What does "bust" mean?
The act of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation.
Bust
/ˈbʌst/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation.
- Grammar: bust is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abase, abasement, ado, apprehend.
- Useful contrasts: abdomen, blackjacks, economic boom.
- Usage evidence: A bust of Aristotle stands on a pedestal in the entryway.
How to use "bust"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bust" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bust" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bust" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bust" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bust" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abase" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bust", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation. slang
"a narcotics bust"
- 2 A sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders.
- 3 an occasion for excessive eating or drinking wordnet
- 4 A police raid or takedown of a criminal enterprise. slang
- 5 A woman's breasts; the circumference of her chest measured around the breasts.
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 a sculpture of the head and shoulders of a person wordnet
- 7 A failed enterprise; a bomb. slang
- 8 the chest of a woman wordnet
- 9 A refutation of an opening, or of a previously published analysis. slang
- 10 a complete failure wordnet
- 11 A disappointment. slang
"Paris was a bust. They wouldn't even let us see the Mona Lisa."
- 12 A player who fails to meet expectations. derogatory
- 13 The downward portion of a boom and bust cycle; a recession.
- 14 A spree, unrestrained revel, or wild party. dated, slang
Verb
- 1 To break. US, colloquial, transitive
"I busted my cooker while trying to fix it."
- 2 break open or apart suddenly and forcefully wordnet
- 3 To arrest (someone or a group of people) for a crime. slang, transitive
"Aaron got busted by the feds for leaking confidential government documents on Reddit."
- 4 go to pieces wordnet
- 5 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. slang, transitive
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 ruin completely wordnet
- 7 To debunk, dispel (a belief). transitive
"MythBusters"
- 8 separate or cause to separate abruptly wordnet
- 9 An emphatic synonym of do or get.
"He busted huge air off that jump!"
- 10 search without warning, make a sudden surprise attack on wordnet
- 11 To reduce in rank. US, informal
"He busted him down to patrolman for insubordination."
- 12 To undo a trade, generally an error trade, that has already been executed. transitive
- 13 To lose all of one's chips.
- 14 To exceed a score of 21.
- 15 To break in (an animal). slang, transitive
"A few weeks later, Richard was killed accidentally while busting a wild mustang […]"
- 16 To break in (a woman or girl), to deflower slang, transitive
"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.""
- 17 To ejaculate; to eject semen or to squirt. intransitive, slang, vulgar
"I busted a fat one just wackin' it to the selfie she sent me."
- 18 For a headline to exceed the amount of space reserved for it. intransitive
"The temptation to squeeze in a favourite headline that busts by using the flexibility of new technology is often very strong."
- 19 To refute an established opening. slang
"So is the King's Gambit really busted?"
- 20 To shoot (a gun). slang, transitive
"He busted his glock."
- 21 To attack, hit or insult (someone). intransitive, slang
"He's always busting on you."
- 22 To do or perform; to move quickly. slang
"Bust a left turn."
Adjective
- 1 Without any money, broke, bankrupt. not-comparable, slang
"After months of financial problems, the company finally went bust."
Adjective
- 1 lacking funds wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"A bust of Aristotle stands on a pedestal in the entryway."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bust"?
Common synonyms include: abase, abasement, ado, apprehend, apprehension, arch.
How do you use "bust" in a sentence?
A bust of Aristotle stands on a pedestal in the entryway.
How do you pronounce "bust"?
Pronounced /ˈbʌst/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English busten, a variant of bursten, bresten (“to burst”). Compare Low German basten, a variant of barsten (“to burst”). Cognate with burst and bost.
Etymology 2
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”).