bust


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Related to bust: go bust

bust 1

 (bŭst)
n.
1. A sculpture representing a person's head, shoulders, and upper chest.
2.
a. A woman's breasts.
b. The human chest.

[French buste, from Italian busto, possibly from Latin bustum, sepulchral monument.]

bust 2

 (bŭst)
v. bust·ed, bust·ing, busts
v.tr.
1. Informal
a. To smash or break, especially forcefully: "Mr. Luger worked it with a rake, busting up the big clods, making a flat brown table" (Garrison Keillor).
b. To render inoperable or unusable: busted the vending machine by putting in foreign coins.
2. To cause to come to an end; break up: an attempt to bust the union.
3. To break or tame (a horse).
4. To cause to become bankrupt or short of money: "Unwatched overhead could bust us in a year's time" (Louis Auchincloss).
5. Informal
a. To place under arrest.
b. To make a police raid on.
6. Slang To reduce in rank; demote.
7. Slang To hit; punch.
v.intr.
1. Slang
a. To undergo breakage; become broken.
b. To burst; break: "Several companies have threatened to bust out of their high-wage contracts by the dubious technique of declaring bankruptcy" (Washington Post).
2. To become bankrupt or short of money.
3. Games To lose at blackjack by exceeding a score of 21.
n.
1. A failure; a flop: "The home-style bean curd is a bust, oily and rubbery" (Mark and Gail Barnett).
2. A time or period of widespread financial depression: "Bankers consider the region's diversified economy to be good protection against a possible real estate bust" (American Banker).
3. Slang A punch; a blow.
4. Informal A spree: a fraternity beer bust.
5. Informal
a. An arrest.
b. A raid.
Idioms:
bust a nut Vulgar Slang
To have an orgasm.
bust (one's) ass/balls/butt Vulgar Slang
To make a strenuous effort; work very hard.
bust (someone's) balls/chops
1. Vulgar Slang To make extreme or unreasonable demands of someone.
2. To harass or scold someone.
go bust
To go bankrupt.

[Variant of burst.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bust

(bʌst)
n
1. (Anatomy) the chest of a human being, esp a woman's bosom
2. (Art Terms) a sculpture of the head, shoulders, and upper chest of a person
[C17: from French buste, from Italian busto a sculpture, of unknown origin]

bust

(bʌst)
vb, busts, busting, busted or bust
1. to burst or break
2. to make or become bankrupt
3. (Law) (tr) (of the police) to raid, search, or arrest: the girl was busted for drugs.
4. (Military) (tr) US and Canadian to demote, esp in military rank
5. (Horse Training, Riding & Manège) (tr) US and Canadian to break or tame (a horse, etc)
6. (tr) chiefly US to punch; hit
7. bust a gut See gut9
n
8. (Law) a raid, search, or arrest by the police
9. chiefly US a punch; hit
10. US and Canadian a failure, esp a financial one; bankruptcy
11. a drunken party
adj
12. broken
13. (Banking & Finance) bankrupt
14. go bust to become bankrupt
[C19: from a dialect pronunciation of burst]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bust1

(bʌst)

n.
1. a representation of the upper part of the human figure, esp. the head and shoulders.
2. the chest or breast, esp. a woman's bosom.
[1685–95; < French buste < Italian busto]

bust2

(bʌst)

v.i. Informal.
1. to burst.
2. to break or separate; split (usu. fol. by up).
3. to go bankrupt.
4. to collapse from the strain of making a supreme effort.
v.t.
5. Informal.
a. to burst.
b. to bankrupt; ruin financially.
6. to demote, esp. in military rank.
7. to tame; break: to bust a bronco.
8. Slang.
a. to place under arrest.
b. to subject to a police raid.
9. Informal.
a. to hit.
b. to break: I fell and busted my arm.
10. to damage or destroy (usu. fol. by up).
n.
11. a failure.
12. Informal. a hit; sock; punch.
13. a sudden economic decline; depression.
14. Slang.
a. an arrest.
b. a police raid.
15. Informal. a drinking spree; binge.
adj.
16. Informal. bankrupt; broke.
[1755–65; variant of burst, by loss of r before s, as in ass2, bass2, passel, etc.]
usage: Historically bust is derived from a dialect pronunciation of burst and is related to it much as cuss is related to curse. As both noun and verb bust has a wide range of meanings. A few, as “a decline in economic conditions, depression,” are standard.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

breast

bustbosom
1. 'breast'

A woman's breasts are the two soft, round pieces of flesh on her chest that can produce milk to feed a baby.

...a beggar girl with a baby at her breast.
...women with small breasts.
2. 'bust'

A woman's breasts can be referred to as her bust, especially when you are talking about their size. Note that bust refers to both breasts together. You do not talk about a woman's 'busts'.

She has a very large bust.

Bust is also used to talk about the measurement around the top part of a woman's body at the level of her breasts.

'Bust 34' means that the garment is a size 12.
3. 'bosom'

A woman's breasts can also be referred to as her bosom /'bʊzəm/. This is an old-fashioned or literary word.

...hugging the cat to her bosom.

bust

Bust can be a verb, an adjective, or a noun. The past tense and past participle of the verb is either bust or busted.

1. used as a verb

If you bust something, you break or damage it so badly that it cannot be used. Note that you only use bust with this meaning in conversation. You do not use it in formal writing.

She found out about Jack busting the double-bass.

In informal English, if someone is busted, the police arrest them.

They were busted for possession of cannabis.
2. used as an adjective

In conversation, if you say that something is bust, you mean that it is broken or very badly damaged.

That clock's been bust for weeks.

Note that in American English, the adjective is busted not 'bust'.

There he found a small writing table with a busted leg.

If a company goes bust, it loses so much money that it is forced to close down. You do not use this expression in formal English.

The company almost went bust in February.
3. used as a noun

A woman's bust is her breasts.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

bust


Past participle: bust
Gerund: busting

Imperative
bust
bust
Present
I bust
you bust
he/she/it busts
we bust
you bust
they bust
Preterite
I busted
you busted
he/she/it busted
we busted
you busted
they busted
Present Continuous
I am busting
you are busting
he/she/it is busting
we are busting
you are busting
they are busting
Present Perfect
I have bust
you have bust
he/she/it has bust
we have bust
you have bust
they have bust
Past Continuous
I was busting
you were busting
he/she/it was busting
we were busting
you were busting
they were busting
Past Perfect
I had bust
you had bust
he/she/it had bust
we had bust
you had bust
they had bust
Future
I will bust
you will bust
he/she/it will bust
we will bust
you will bust
they will bust
Future Perfect
I will have bust
you will have bust
he/she/it will have bust
we will have bust
you will have bust
they will have bust
Future Continuous
I will be busting
you will be busting
he/she/it will be busting
we will be busting
you will be busting
they will be busting
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been busting
you have been busting
he/she/it has been busting
we have been busting
you have been busting
they have been busting
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been busting
you will have been busting
he/she/it will have been busting
we will have been busting
you will have been busting
they will have been busting
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been busting
you had been busting
he/she/it had been busting
we had been busting
you had been busting
they had been busting
Conditional
I would bust
you would bust
he/she/it would bust
we would bust
you would bust
they would bust
Past Conditional
I would have bust
you would have bust
he/she/it would have bust
we would have bust
you would have bust
they would have bust
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

bust

1. A sculpture of the upper part of the human body.
2. To score more points than needed to win. The player forfeits the rest of his or her turn and the points thus scored.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.bust - a complete failure; "the play was a dismal flop"
failure - an event that does not accomplish its intended purpose; "the surprise party was a complete failure"
bomb, dud, turkey - an event that fails badly or is totally ineffectual; "the first experiment was a real turkey"; "the meeting was a dud as far as new business was concerned"
2.bust - the chest of a womanbust - the chest of a woman      
female body - the body of a female human being
chest, pectus, thorax - the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
3.bust - a sculpture of the head and shoulders of a person
sculpture - a three-dimensional work of plastic art
4.bust - an occasion for excessive eating or drinkingbust - an occasion for excessive eating or drinking; "they went on a bust that lasted three days"
revel, revelry - unrestrained merrymaking
piss-up - vulgar expression for a bout of heavy drinking
Verb1.bust - ruin completely; "He busted my radio!"
fall apart, wear out, bust, wear, break - go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely"
break down - cause to fall or collapse
ruin, destroy - destroy completely; damage irreparably; "You have ruined my car by pouring sugar in the tank!"; "The tears ruined her make-up"
bust up, wrack, wreck - smash or break forcefully; "The kid busted up the car"
2.bust - search without warning, make a sudden surprise attack on; "The police raided the crack house"
attack, assail - launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with; "Hitler attacked Poland on September 1, 1939 and started World War II"; "Serbian forces assailed Bosnian towns all week"
3.bust - separate or cause to separate abruptly; "The rope snapped"; "tear the paper"
disunite, separate, part, divide - force, take, or pull apart; "He separated the fighting children"; "Moses parted the Red Sea"
lacerate - cut or tear irregularly
rend, rip, rive, pull - tear or be torn violently; "The curtain ripped from top to bottom"; "pull the cooked chicken into strips"
rip up, shred, tear up - tear into shreds
4.bust - go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely"
decay, dilapidate, crumble - fall into decay or ruin; "The unoccupied house started to decay"
fray, frazzle - wear away by rubbing; "The friction frayed the sleeve"
bust, break - ruin completely; "He busted my radio!"
5.bust - break open or apart suddenly and forcefully; "The dam burst"
shatter - break into many pieces; "The wine glass shattered"
come apart, break, split up, fall apart, separate - become separated into pieces or fragments; "The figurine broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart"
Adj.1.bust - lacking fundsbust - lacking funds; "`skint' is a British slang term"
poor - having little money or few possessions; "deplored the gap between rich and poor countries"; "the proverbial poor artist living in a garret"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

bust

1
noun
1. bosom, breasts, chest, front Good posture also helps your bust look bigger.
2. sculpture, carving, head a bronze bust of the Queen

bust

2 (Informal)
verb
1. break smash, split, crack, burst, snap, shatter, fracture, splinter, rupture, break into fragments They will have to bust the door to get him out.
2. arrest, catch, lift (slang), raid, cop (slang), nail (informal), collar (informal), nab (informal), feel your collar (slang) They were busted for possession of cannabis.
noun
1. arrest, capture, raid, cop (slang) He was imprisoned after a drug bust.
go bust go bankrupt, fail, go under, break, be ruined, be wound up, go to the wall, be liquidated, go into receivership, go into liquidation, become insolvent, cease trading Hundreds of restaurants went bust last year.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

bust

verb
1. Slang. To make or become unusable or inoperative:
2. Slang. To come open or fly apart suddenly and violently, as from internal pressure:
blow (out), burst, explode, pop.
3. To make (an animal) docile:
4. To reduce to financial insolvency:
Slang: clean out.
5. To undergo sudden financial failure:
Informal: fold.
Idioms: go belly up, go bust, go on the rocks, go to the wall.
6. Slang. To lower in rank or grade:
7. To hit with a quick, sharp blow of the hand:
Informal: clip, spat.
8. Slang. To take into custody as a prisoner:
Informal: nab, pick up.
Slang: collar, pinch, run in.
noun
1. One that fails completely:
Informal: dud, flop, lemon.
Slang: bomb.
2. The condition of being financially insolvent:
3. A quick, sharp blow, especially with the hand:
Informal: clip, spat.
4. Slang. A seizing and holding by law:
Slang: collar, pickup, pinch.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
تِمْثالٌ نِصْفيتـِمْثال نِصْفيصَدْرمُفْلِسيَعْتَقِل، يُلْقي القَبْضَ على
арестувамбюст
bystaprsarozbítrozbitýzašít
bustegået i stykkerknaldesprængeanholde
povipystiratsiarikkoarintakuva
bista
bedöglött
barmurbrjóstmynd
バスト
여성의 가슴
apcietinat, arestētcupakrušutēlskrūtisuzlauzt
bustazatknúť a uväzniť
byst
รูปปั้นครึ่งตัว
tượng bán thân

bust

1 [bʌst]
A. N
1. (Art) → busto m
2. (= bosom) → pecho m
B. CPD bust measurement Ntalla f de pecho

bust

2 [bʌst]
A. ADJ
1. (= broken) → estropeado, escacharrado (Sp)
2. (= bankrupt) to go bust [business] → quebrar, irse a pique; [person] → arruinarse
B. N
1. (Police) (= raid) → redada f
2. (US) (= failure) → pifia f
C. VT
1. (= break) → destrozar, escacharrar (Sp)
to bust a gutechar los bofes
to bust one's ass (US) → ir de culo
2. (Police) (= arrest) → agarrar, trincar (Sp) ; (= raid) → hacer una redada en
the police busted him for drugsla policía lo agarró por cuestión de drogas, la policía lo trincó por cuestión de drogas (Sp)
the police busted the placela policía hizo una redada en el local
3. (esp US) (= demote) [+ police officer] → degradar
D. VIromperse, estropearse
New York or bust!¡o Nueva York o nada!
bust up
A. VT + ADV [+ marriage, friendship] → romper
B. VI + ADV [friends] → reñir, pelearse
to bust up with sb (= quarrel) → reñir or pelearse con algn; (= break up) → romper con algn
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

bust

[ˈbʌst]
n
[woman] → poitrine f
(= sculpture) → buste m
(= seizure) → saisie f
a drugs bust → une saisie de drogue
adj
(= broken) → fichu(e)
adv
to go bust → faire faillite
vt
(= break) → casser
(= arrest) → pincerbus ticket nticket m de bus
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

bust

1
nBüste f; (Anat also) → Busen m; bust measurementBrustumfang m, → Oberweite f

bust

2 vb: pret, ptp <bust> (inf)
adj
(= broken)kaputt (inf)
(= bankrupt)pleite (inf)
adv (= bankrupt) to go bustpleitegehen or Pleite machen (inf)
n (US: = failure) → Pleite f (inf)
vt
(= break)kaputt machen (inf); to bust something openetw aufbrechen; to bust a gutsich (dat)den Arsch aufreißen (sl); he just about bust a gut doing iter hat sich (dat)dabei fast einen abgebrochen (inf); don’t bust my chops! (US: expressing annoyance and disbelief) → na, na, na! (inf), → jetzt hör aber auf! (inf)
(= catch, convict)hinter Schloss und Riegel bringen; drugs ring, syndicateauffliegen lassen (inf); he got busted for driving without a license (US) → er ist ohne Führerschein erwischt worden
(US Mil: = demote) → degradieren (to zu)
vi (= break)kaputtgehen (inf)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

bust

1 [bʌst] n (bosom) → petto, seno (Art) → busto
bust up vt + adv (fam) → sfasciare

bust

2 [bʌst] (fam)
1. adj (broken) → rotto/a, scassato/a
to go bust (bankrupt) → fallire, fare fallimento
2. vt
a. = burst 2
b. (Police) (arrest) → pizzicare, beccare; (raid) → fare irruzione in
c. (break) → scassare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

bust1

(bast) noun
1. a woman's chest. She has a very small bust.
2. a sculpture of a person's head and shoulders. a bust of Julius Caesar.

bust2

(bast) past participle bust or busted verb
(slang).
1. to arrest someone. Two drug dealers were busted in a police raid.
2. to break something. The firemen busted the door.
get busted
be arrested. They got busted while selling the drugs.

bust3

(bast) adjective
(slang) broken; not working. The zip is bust; Try that phone. This one is bust.
go bust
become bankrupt. When the project failed the company went bust.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

bust

تـِمْثال نِصْفي bysta buste Büste μπούστο busto povi buste bista busto バスト 여성의 가슴 boezem byste popiersie busto бюст byst รูปปั้นครึ่งตัว büst tượng bán thân 胸像
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

bust

n busto, pecho
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
The assistant had left the front shop for an instant, when he heard a crash, and hurrying in he found a plaster bust of Napoleon, which stood with several other works of art upon the counter, lying shivered into fragments.
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore; Not the least obeisance made he; not an instant stopped or stayed he; But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -- Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -- Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he, But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door-- Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door-- Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
For instance, a wild band of young revolutionists invited me as the guest of honour to a beer bust. It is the only technical beer bust I ever attended.
I show you beautiful, O, magnificent bust Christopher Colombo!--splendid, grand, magnificent!"
Waldengarver," said the owner of that property, "or you'll bust 'em.
He was buried in Stratford Parish Church, and on his grave was placed a bust of the poet.
We turned in and soothed him down and told him we would plan for him and help him, and he needn't be so afeard; and so by and by he got to feeling kind of comfortable again, and unscrewed his heelplates and held up his di'monds this way and that, admiring them and loving them; and when the light struck into them they WAS beautiful, sure; why, they seemed to kind of bust, and snap fire out all around.
Alluding to the extent of Florida, a mere peninsula confined between two seas, they pretended that it could never sustain the shock of the discharge, and that it would "bust up" at the very first shot.
A bust of Beethoven, covered with a hood of dust, scowled at her from the mantelpiece.
By and by I says to myself, I can't live this way; I'm a-going to find out who it is that's here on the island with me; I'll find it out or bust. Well, I felt better right off.
The head, which resembled a bust or figure of a Roman emperor, and was coloured like bronze, was hollow throughout, as was the table, into which it was fitted so exactly that no trace of the joining was visible.