busted

[ buhs-tid ]

adjective

1. broken, fractured, or seriously damaged:

   a busted leg.

2. no longer working or operating:

   a busted radio.

3. penniless or bankrupt; broke:

   busted businesses that can’t pay their bills.

4. failed:

   I never talk about my busted marriages.

5. in trouble; caught doing something bad or wrong:

   I know that’s a lie—you are so busted!

busted

/ ˈbʌstəd /

adjective

1. informal.
   caught out doing something wrong and therefore in trouble

   you are so busted

Word History and Origins

Origin of busted¹

First recorded in 1835–40; bust ²( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

On occasion, officials throughout Mexico have busted clandestine cartel training facilities.

From Los Angeles Times

Mara was involved in a busted pick-and-roll coverage that resulted in a Matthew Nicholson dunk and stepped out of bounds along the baseline for a turnover.

From Los Angeles Times

Only the Russian billionaires end the film without a scratch — or bruise, broken nose or busted SUV.

From Los Angeles Times

Erickson, though, saw something far more sinister in that busted device than managerial ineptitude.

From Salon

“I knew that if the water heater busted or my wife’s car needed a jump, if I wasn’t there I knew there were people looking out for them.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• collapsed
• cracked
• crumbled
• crushed
• damaged
• defective
• demolished
• destroyed
• fractured
• fragmented
• injured
• mangled
• mutilated
• ruptured
• severed
• shattered
• smashed
• splintered