Buster Meaning
/ˈbʌstɚ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounSomeone who or something that bursts, breaks, or destroys a specified thing.
nounForming compounds denoting a team, weapon, or device specialized in the destruction of the first element.
Sentence Examples
Buster Keaton was one of Hollywood’s greatest silent comics.
Buster Keaton was one Hollywood’s greatest silent comics.
CEFR Practice Quiz
He became famous as a crime ____ after solving dozens of difficult cases.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The detergent was advertised as a stain-____ for white shirts.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Now death, I pray thee what is it, but a buster of bonds; a destruction of toyle?"
— 1614, S. Jerome, Moses his Sight of Canaan, section 147:
"Rothlin was described... by the papers as the buster of the bandit ring."
— 2005, J. Madhavan, Sita & Forest Bandits, section 122:
"German ‘balloon busters’ attack the Dover barrage."
— 1940 September 2, Life, 29/1:
"Our main purpose in further experimentation with nuclear bombs is not... to make city-busters more horrible."
— 1958 February 10, Life, section 70:
"B-2 bombers are the only plane capable of carrying the Massive Ordinance Penetrator, which experts have highlighted as the only type of bomb potentially capable of destroying Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear facility. Each B-2 bomber is able to carry two of these “bunker buster” bombs, which weigh an impressive 30,000 pounds each."
— 2025 June 21, Thomas Bordeaux, Natasha Bertrand and Zachary Cohen, “US moves B-2 bombers as Trump weighs Iran options”, in CNN:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He became famous as a crime ____ after solving dozens of difficult cases.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The detergent was advertised as a stain-____ for white shirts.