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bust

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: büst and bůst

English

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WOTD – 19 January 2016
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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    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.

    Verb

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    bust (third-person singular simple present busts, present participle busting, simple past and past participle busted or bust)

    1. (transitive, colloquial, chiefly US) To break.
      I busted my cooker while trying to fix it.
    2. (transitive, slang) To arrest (someone or a group of people) for a crime.
      Synonym: nick
      Aaron got busted by the feds for leaking confidential government documents on Reddit.
    3. (transitive, slang) To catch (someone) in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal, especially when being done in a sneaky or secretive state.
    4. (transitive, slang) To debunk, dispel (a belief).
      We want to bust the myth that real men don't eat quiche.
    5. (snowboarding) An emphatic synonym of do or get.
      He busted huge air off that jump!
    6. (US, informal) To reduce in rank.
      He busted him down to patrolman for insubordination.
      • 1962, The Manchurian Candidate, 01:56:35
        If Steinkamp doesn't take off that hat and stop messing around, I'm gonna bust him into a PFC.
    7. (finance, transitive) To undo a trade, generally an error trade, that has already been executed.
    8. (poker) To lose all of one's chips.
    9. (blackjack, pontoon) To exceed a score of 21.
    10. (transitive, slang) To break in (an animal).
      • 1997, Charles Oswald, Gone with the Western Wind:
        A few weeks later, Richard was killed accidentally while busting a wild mustang […]
    11. (transitive, slang) To have sex with (a woman or girl) for the first time, to take another's virginity.
      • 2014, Tison Pugh, Truman Capote: A Literary Life at the Movies‎[1], page 127:
        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."
    12. (intransitive, vulgar, slang) To ejaculate; to eject semen or to squirt.
      Alternative form: buss
      I busted a fat one just wackin' it to the selfie she sent me.
      • 1996, Lil' Kim, “Not Tonight”:
        After ten times we fucked, I think I bust twice
        He was nice, kept my neck filled with ice
    13. (journalism, intransitive) For a headline to exceed the amount of space reserved for it.
      • 1990, Paul Williams, The Computerized Newspaper: A Practical Guide for Systems Users, page 105:
        The temptation to squeeze in a favourite headline that busts by using the flexibility of new technology is often very strong.
      • 2007, Rob Steen, Sports Journalism: A Multimedia Primer, page 167:
        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.
    14. (chess, slang) To refute an established opening.
      • 2012 April 2, Frederic Friedel, “Rajlich: Busting the King's Gambit, this time for sure”, in ChessBase‎[2], archived from the original on 1 September 2026:
        So is the King's Gambit really busted?
    15. (slang, African-American Vernacular, transitive) To shoot (a gun).
      He busted his glock.
    16. (slang, African-American Vernacular, intransitive) To attack, hit or insult (someone).
      He's always busting on you.
    17. (slang) To do or perform; to move quickly.
      Bust a left turn.
    Derived terms
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    Translations
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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Noun

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    bust (plural busts)

    1. (slang) The act of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation.
      a narcotics bust
    2. (slang) A police raid or takedown of a criminal enterprise.
    3. (slang) A failed enterprise; a bomb.
    4. (chess, slang) A refutation of an opening, or of a previously published analysis.
    5. (slang) A disappointment.
    6. (sports, derogatory) A player who fails to meet expectations.
    7. (economics) The downward portion of a boom and bust cycle; a recession.
    8. (slang, dated) A spree, unrestrained revel, or wild party.
    Derived terms
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    Translations
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    Adjective

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    bust (not comparable)

    1. (slang) Without any money, broke, bankrupt.
      After months of financial problems, the company finally went bust.
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    Etymology 2

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    The Bust of Pericles with the Corinthian Helmet, Roman after a Greek original, from circa 430 BC, made of marble
    Etymology tree
    Latin būstum
    Italian bustobor.
    French bustebor.
    English bust

      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.

      Noun

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      bust (plural busts)

      1. A sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders.
      2. A woman's breasts; the circumference of her chest measured around the breasts.
      Derived terms
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      Translations
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      Anagrams

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      Catalan

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      Etymology

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        Borrowed from Italian busto.

        Pronunciation

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        Noun

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        bust m (plural busts or bustos)

        1. bust (sculpture)
        2. bust (breasts and upper thorax)

        Further reading

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        Dutch

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        Pronunciation

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        Verb

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        bust

        1. inflection of bussen:
          1. second/third-person singular present indicative
          2. (archaic) plural imperative

        Ghomara

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        Pronunciation

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        Verb

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        bust

        1. inflection of bas:
          1. first-person singular perfect
          2. second-person singular perfect

        Romanian

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        Etymology

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        Etymology tree
        Latin būstum
        Italian bustobor.
        French bustebor.
        Romanian bust

          Borrowed from French buste.

          Noun

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          bust n (plural busturi)

          1. bust (sculpture)

          Declension

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          singular plural
          indefinite definite indefinite definite
          nominative-accusative bust bustul busturi busturile
          genitive-dative bust bustului busturi busturilor
          vocative bustule busturilor
          Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=bust&oldid=93551306"