bust

¹

[ buhst ]

noun

1. a sculptured, painted, drawn, or engraved representation of the upper part of the human figure, especially a portrait sculpture showing only the head and shoulders of the subject.
2. the chest or breast, especially a woman's bosom.

bust

²

[ buhst ]

verb (used without object)

1. Informal.
   1. to burst.
   2. to go bankrupt.
   3. to collapse from the strain of making a supreme effort:

      She was determined to make straight A's or bust.

2. Cards.
   1. Draw Poker. to fail to make a flush or straight by one card.
   2. Blackjack. to draw cards exceeding the count of 21.

verb (used with object)

1. Informal.
   1. to burst.
   2. to bankrupt; ruin financially.
2. to demote, especially in military rank or grade:

   He was busted from sergeant to private three times.

3. to tame; break:

   to bust a bronco.

4. Slang.
   1. to place under arrest:

      The gang was busted and put away on narcotics charges.

   2. to subject to a police raid:

      The bar has been busted three times for selling drinks to minors.

5. Informal.
   1. to hit.
   2. to break; fracture:

      She fell and busted her arm.

noun

1. a failure.
2. Informal. a hit; sock; punch:

   He got a bust in the nose before he could put up his hands.

3. a sudden decline in the economic conditions of a country, marked by an extreme drop in stock-market prices, business activity, and employment; depression.
4. Slang.
   1. an arrest.
   2. a police raid.
5. Informal. a drinking spree; binge.
6. Cards.
   1. a very weak hand.
   2. Bridge. a hand lacking the potential to take a single trick.

adjective

1. Informal. bankrupt; broke.

verb phrase

1. Informal.
   1. to break up; separate:

      Sam and his wife busted up a year ago.

   2. to damage or destroy:

      Soldiers got in a fight and busted up the bar.

bust

¹

/ bʌst /

noun

1. the chest of a human being, esp a woman's bosom
2. a sculpture of the head, shoulders, and upper chest of a person

bust

²

/ bʌst /

verb

1. to burst or break
2. to make or become bankrupt
3. tr (of the police) to raid, search, or arrest

   the girl was busted for drugs

4. tr to demote, esp in military rank
5. tr to break or tame (a horse, etc)
6. tr to punch; hit
7. bust a gut
   See gut

noun

1. a raid, search, or arrest by the police
2. a punch; hit
3. a failure, esp a financial one; bankruptcy
4. a drunken party

adjective

1. broken
2. bankrupt
3. go bust
   to become bankrupt

Word History and Origins

Origin of bust¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from French buste, from Italian busto, probably from Latin bustum “funeral pyre, ashes, grave mound, tomb,” presumably by association with the busts erected over graves

Origin of bust²

First recorded in 1755–65; variant of burst, by loss of r before s, as in ass ², bass ², passel, etc.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bust¹

C17: from French buste , from Italian busto a sculpture, of unknown origin

Origin of bust²

C19: from a dialect pronunciation of burst

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. bust ass, Slang: Vulgar. to fight with the fists; strike or thrash another.
2. bust on, Slang.
   1. to attack physically; beat up.
   2. to criticize or reprimand harshly.
   3. to make fun of or laugh at; mock.
   4. to inform on.
3. bust one's ass, Slang: Vulgar. to make an extreme effort; exert oneself.

More idioms and phrases containing bust

• break (bust) one's ass
• go broke (bust)

Example Sentences

Sir David Behan, the OfS chairman, says a university going bust “isn’t imminent now”, but to reduce the risk higher education needs to be “radically reimagined”.

From BBC

“We don’t want boom and bust, where one year we’re up, the next year we’re down. That doesn’t help anybody.”

From BBC

His brother committed suicide at just 15 years old in 1983, his parents divorced and his “hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana was going through the oil bust.”

From Salon

The plan's answer to the oil bust is to tear down barriers protecting public land, allowing oil and gas companies to expand their operations there.

From Salon

For all the claptrap over the decades about booting people out, this country’s leaders quickly realize their error and bust out the proverbial welcome mat just as quickly.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• apprehend
• detain
• pinch