Meanings
bust1
verbbust (third-person singular simple present busts, present participle busting, simple past and past participle busted or bust)
present singular third person busts · participle present busting · participle past busted · past busted
- USinformalTo reduce in rank.
He busted him down to patrolman for insubordination.
1 more example
If Steinkamp doesn't take off that hat and stop messing around, I'm gonna bust him into a PFC.
1962, The Manchurian Candidate, 01:56:35 - card gamesTo lose all of one's chips.
- blackjackTo exceed a score of 21.
- slangtransitiveTo break in (an animal).
A few weeks later, Richard was killed accidentally while busting a wild mustang […]
1997, Charles Oswald, Gone with the Western Wind - slangtransitiveTo have sex with (a woman or girl) for the first time, to take another's virginity.
1 more example
Smith hears Nancy's protests - "Don't ... no, please don't." - when Hickock menaces her with "You ever had a man?" Finding Hickock rubbing her thigh as she whimpers in fear, Smith confronts him about his intentions, and Hickock says, "First, I'm going to bust that little girl." Smith tells him no, but Hickock replies, "What do you care? You can bust her too."
2014, Tison Pugh, Truman Capote: A Literary Life at the Movies, page 127 - intransitivejournalismFor a headline to exceed the amount of space reserved for it.
The temptation to squeeze in a favourite headline that busts by using the flexibility of new technology is often very strong.
1990, Paul Williams, The Computerized Newspaper: A Practical Guide for Systems Users, page 1051 more example
If your headline busts (breaks the confines of the layout) you will know straightaway. Similarly, the computer will inform you, in terms of the number of lines, how much longer or shorter the copy is in relation to the space allotted.
2007, Rob Steen, Sports Journalism: A Multimedia Primer, page 167 - slangTo do or perform; to move quickly.
Bust a left turn.
nounbust (plural busts)
plural busts
- slangA failed enterprise; a bomb.
- slangboard gamesA refutation of an opening, or of a previously published analysis.
- slangA disappointment.
Paris was a bust. They wouldn't even let us see the Mona Lisa.
2014 November 2, “Opposites A-Frack”, in The Simpsons, season 26, episode 5 - economicsThe downward portion of a boom and bust cycle; a recession.
- datedslangA spree, unrestrained revel, or wild party.
adjectivebust (not comparable)
bust2
nounbust (plural busts)
plural busts
- A sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders.
- A woman's breasts; the circumference of her chest measured around the breasts.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo arrest (someone or a group of people) for a crime.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivelacking funds
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
bust · verb, noun, adjective
- Middle Englishbusten
- Englishbust
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.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →bust · noun
- Latinbūstum
- Italianbusto
- Frenchbuste
- Englishbust
Borrowed from French buste, from Italian busto (“torso, upper body”), assumed to stem 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”). Compare Old Norse beysti.
More words from French, Italian, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans breek, betrap
- breekto break something
- betrap(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
Bulgarian счупвам, разбивам
- счупвам (sčupvam)to break something
- разбивам (razbivam)to break something
- арестувам (arestuvam)(slang) to arrest for a crime
- бюст (bjust)sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- бюст (bjust)breasts and upper thorax of a woman
Catalan esbotzar, rebentar
- esbotzarto break something
- rebentarto break something
- destrossarto break something
- atrapar(slang) to arrest for a crime
- enxampar(slang) to arrest for a crime
- enxampar(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- bustsculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- bustbreasts and upper thorax of a woman
Chinese Mandarin 胸像, 半身像
- 胸像 (xiōngxiàng)sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- 半身像 (bànshēnxiàng)sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- 婦女胸部 /妇女胸部 (fùnǚ xiōngbù)breasts and upper thorax of a woman
Czech busta, bysta
- bustasculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- bystasculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- poprsísculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- poprsíbreasts and upper thorax of a woman
Danish buste
- bustesculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
Dutch breken, oppakken
- brekento break something
- oppakken(slang) to arrest for a crime
- bij de lurven pakken(slang) to arrest for a crime
- vatten(slang) to arrest for a crime
- betrappen(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- barstenalteration of
- brekenalteration of
- arrestatieact of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- razziaact of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- flopfailed enterprise
- fiascofailed enterprise
- bustesculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- borstbeeldsculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- boezembreasts and upper thorax of a woman
Esperanto busto
- bustosculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
Estonian büst
- büstsculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
Finnish rikkoa, pidättää
- rikkoato break something
- pidättää(slang) to arrest for a crime
- narauttaa(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- käräyttää(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- pidätysact of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- ratsiaact of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- epäonnistuminenfailed enterprise
- fiaskofailed enterprise
- floppifailed enterprise
- rintakuvasculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- pystisculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- povibreasts and upper thorax of a woman
French bouziller, niquer
- bouzillerto break something
- niquerto break something
- péterto break something
- attraper(slang) to arrest for a crime
- arrêter(slang) to arrest for a crime
- pincer(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- choper(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- prendre sur le fait(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- prendre la main dans le sac(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- gauler(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- éclateralteration of
- arrestationact of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- fiascofailed enterprise
- bidefailed enterprise
- bustesculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- bustebreasts and upper thorax of a woman
German zerbrechen, zerstören
- zerbrechento break something
- zerstörento break something
- einlochen(slang) to arrest for a crime
- ertappen(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- erwischen(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- degradieren(US) to reduce in rank
- berstenalteration of
- Scheiternfailed enterprise
- Floppfailed enterprise
- Fiaskofailed enterprise
- Büstesculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- Busenbreasts and upper thorax of a woman
Greek προτομή, μπούστο
- προτομή (protomí)sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- μπούστο (boústo)breasts and upper thorax of a woman
Hungarian eltör, széttör
- eltörto break something
- széttörto break something
- letartóztat(slang) to arrest for a crime
- elfog(slang) to arrest for a crime
- lebuktat(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- lefokoz(US) to reduce in rank
- kipukkasztalteration of
- kipukkadalteration of
- razziaact of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- elfogásact of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- letartóztatásact of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- kudarcfailed enterprise
- csődfailed enterprise
- fiaskófailed enterprise
- mellszoborsculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
Icelandic brjóstmynd
- brjóstmyndsculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
Irish busta, dealbh bhrád
- bustasculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- dealbh bhrádsculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
Italian rompere, sfasciare
- rompereto break something
- sfasciareto break something
- acciuffare(slang) to arrest for a crime
- attaccare(slang) to arrest for a crime
- sgamare(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- scoppiarealteration of
- far scoppiarealteration of
- arrestoact of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- fare irruzioneact of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- irruzioneact of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- fiascofailed enterprise
- bustosculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- bustobreasts and upper thorax of a woman
Japanese 胸像, 半身像
- 胸像 (kyōzō)sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- 半身像 (hanshinzō)sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- 乳房breasts and upper thorax of a woman
Korean 흉상, 앞가슴
- 흉상 (hyungsang)sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- 앞가슴 (apgaseum)breasts and upper thorax of a woman
Latvian biste
- bistesculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
Lithuanian biustas
- biustassculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
Norwegian Bokmål byste, byste
- bystesculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- bystebreasts and upper thorax of a woman
Polish nalot, klapa
- nalotact of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- klapafailed enterprise
- fiaskofailed enterprise
- popiersiesculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- biustsculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- biustbreasts and upper thorax of a woman
Portuguese busto, busto
- bustosculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- bustobreasts and upper thorax of a woman
Romanian bust
- bustsculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
Russian засту́кать, спали́ть
- засту́кать (zastúkatʹ)(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- спали́ть (spalítʹ)(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- налёт (naljót)act of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- обла́ва (obláva)act of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- рейд (rejd)act of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation
- бюст (bjust)sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- бюст (bjust)breasts and upper thorax of a woman
- же́нская грудь (žénskaja grudʹ)breasts and upper thorax of a woman
Slovak busta
- bustasculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
Spanish reventar, partir
- reventarto break something
- partirto break something
- trincar(slang) to arrest for a crime
- cazar(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- pillar(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- ampayar(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- reventaralteration of
- bustosculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- herma (on an estipite)sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- bustobreasts and upper thorax of a woman
Swedish arrestera, haffa
- arrestera(slang) to arrest for a crime
- haffa(slang) to arrest for a crime
- ertappa(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
- bystsculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
- bystbreasts and upper thorax of a woman
Tagalog busto
- bustosculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders
Ukrainian заско́чити
- заско́чити (zaskóčyty)(slang) to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with bust
justmustaugusttrustdiscusseddustrobustrustthrustlustcrustunjustgustdisgustdistrustdostentrustmistrustcussedjoustfussedcombustnonplussedbussed
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
bust. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bust
MLA
“bust.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bust. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bust,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bust.
Source: bust on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.