bust
1 Americannoun
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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.
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the chest or breast, especially a woman's bosom.
verb (used without object)
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Informal.
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to burst.
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to go bankrupt.
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to collapse from the strain of making a supreme effort.
She was determined to make straight A's or bust.
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Cards.
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Draw Poker. to fail to make a flush or straight by one card.
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Blackjack. to draw cards exceeding the count of 21.
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verb (used with object)
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Informal.
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to burst.
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to bankrupt; ruin financially.
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to demote, especially in military rank or grade.
He was busted from sergeant to private three times.
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to tame; break.
to bust a bronco.
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Slang.
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to place under arrest.
The gang was busted and put away on narcotics charges.
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to subject to a police raid.
The bar has been busted three times for selling drinks to minors.
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Informal.
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to hit.
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to break; fracture.
She fell and busted her arm.
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noun
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a failure.
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He got a bust in the nose before he could put up his hands.
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a sudden decline in the economic conditions of a country, marked by an extreme drop in stock-market prices, business activity, and employment; depression.
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Slang.
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an arrest.
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a police raid.
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Informal. a drinking spree; binge.
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Cards.
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a very weak hand.
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Bridge. a hand lacking the potential to take a single trick.
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adjective
verb phrase
idioms
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bust ass, to fight with the fists; strike or thrash another.
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bust on,
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to attack physically; beat up.
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to criticize or reprimand harshly.
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to make fun of or laugh at; mock.
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to inform on.
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bust one's ass, to make an extreme effort; exert oneself.
verb
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to burst or break
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to make or become bankrupt
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(tr) (of the police) to raid, search, or arrest
the girl was busted for drugs
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(tr) to demote, esp in military rank
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(tr) to break or tame (a horse, etc)
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(tr) to punch; hit
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See gut
noun
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a raid, search, or arrest by the police
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a punch; hit
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a failure, esp a financial one; bankruptcy
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a drunken party
adjective
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broken
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bankrupt
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to become bankrupt
noun
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the chest of a human being, esp a woman's bosom
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a sculpture of the head, shoulders, and upper chest of a person
Usage
What does or bust mean? The phrase or bust is used when someone is pursuing an end no matter what, even if they fail trying. Saying New York City or bust, for example, means someone is doing absolutely everything to go there.How is or bust pronounced?[ awr buhst ]
Etymology
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.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Like many Old West boomtowns, it went bust, until skiing became the new gold.
Private credit has been a worry for the markets since last year, with the busts of First Brands and Tricolor prompting JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon to warn about “cockroaches” emerging in the sector.
From Barron's
A trio of top-tier teams - Wasps, London Irish and Worcester - went bust in the 2022-23 season, causing concerns over the long-term sustainability of the league.
From BBC
Another possibility: Tech investment gets ahead of demand, precipitating a bust.
DJs who played there stopped booking new shows, ticket sales nosedived and just as fast as the Mirage had boomed, it was heading for a bust.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
