Bust Meaning
/bʌst/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo break.
verbTo arrest (someone or a group of people) for a crime.
Sentence Examples
A bust of Aristotle stands on a pedestal in the entryway.
The company went bust, owing millions of dollars in unpaid wages and unfilled orders.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The police raided the warehouse and managed to ____ the illegal drug operation.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The police conducted a successful ____ on a local drug ring after months of investigation.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A few weeks later, Richard was killed accidentally while busting a wild mustang […]"
— 1997, Charles Oswald, Gone with the Western Wind:
"Smith hears Nancy's protests - "Don't ... no, please don't." - when Hicock menaces her with "You ever had a man?" Finding Hicock rubbing her thigh as she whimpers in fear, Smith confronts him about his intentions, and Hicock says, "First, I'm going to bust that little girl." Smith tells him no, but Hicock replies, "What do you care? You can bust her too.""
— 2014, Tison Pugh, Truman Capote: A Literary Life at the Movies, page 127:
"After ten times we fucked, I think I bust twice
He was nice, kept my neck filled with ice"
— 1996, Lil' Kim, “Not Tonight”:
"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 105:
"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:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The police raided the warehouse and managed to ____ the illegal drug operation.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The police conducted a successful ____ on a local drug ring after months of investigation.