buster

¹

[ buhs-ter ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a person who breaks up something:

   crime busters.

2. something that is very big or unusual for its kind.
3. a loud, uproarious reveler.
4. a frolic; spree.
5. (initial capital letter) (used as a familiar term of address to a man or boy who is an object to the speaker's annoyance or anger):

   Look, Buster, you're standing in my way!

Buster

²

[ buhs-ter ]

noun

1. a male given name.

buster

/ ˈbʌstə /

noun

1. in combination a person or thing destroying something as specified

   dambuster

2. a term of address for a boy or man
3. a person who breaks horses
4. a spree, esp a drinking bout

Word History and Origins

Origin of buster¹

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; bust ² + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Ninety minutes later, Israeli pilots fired American-supplied “bunker buster” bombs at buildings in southern Beirut.

From BBC

Trump’s continuation of his 2017 cuts — including on corporate tax rates and capital gains — would be another budget buster.

From Los Angeles Times

“It's easy to point to homophobia, the 'f*g buster' campaign,” he says.

From Salon

The UFW countered that Wonderful had intimidated workers into making false statements and had brought in a labor consultant with a reputation as a union buster to manipulate their emotions in the weeks that followed.

From Los Angeles Times

They interrupted her stump speech multiple times, chanting “What’s disgusting? Union busting” at Ms. Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and a self-proclaimed “union buster,” before being shouted down.

From New York Times