Question 1 · Quick check
buster
CEFRB2
/bˈʌstər/
noun
Türkçe translations
Translating…
In plain English
- 01
noun
A person or thing that breaks or defeats something.
- 02
noun
An informal way to address a person.
Examples
Buster Keaton was one Hollywood’s greatest silent comics.
Buster Keaton was one of Hollywood’s greatest silent comics.
At a glance
Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 5
- Parts of speech
- 1
- Citations
- 5
Deep Dive
noun
Extra meaningsForming compounds denoting a team, weapon, or device specialized in the destruction of the first element.
Someone who or something that bursts, breaks, or destroys a specified thing.
Someone who or something that 'breaks', tames, or overpowers a specified person or thing.
More examples
In contextIn that state he is called a ‘Buster’, bursting his shell.
Men nicknamed him the ‘Booze Buster’, and cartoonists loved to picture him, revolver in hand,... fighting the demon rum.
The professional fraud-busters [of the art world].
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.
Nearby
Origin
noun
Originally a dialectal variant of burster; later influenced by bust + -er. The combining form of the term has appeared from the early 20th century but been especially prolific during three periods: in the 1930s, owing to the success of the radio series Gang Busters; in the 1940s, owing to its appearance as military slang; and in the 1980s, owing to the success of the movie Ghostbusters.