bust
bust — noun
- bustsingular
- bustsplural
1. the front part of a woman's body where the breasts are, or the distance around h
the front part of a woman's body where the breasts are, or the distance around her body at that level, used especially when buying clothes.
The tailor measured Sophia's bust before cutting the silk dress.
measure + bust collocation
Lina has a 36-inch bust, so she usually orders a medium top.
[number]-inch bust pattern
The vintage gown was too tight across the bust for Mei to zip up.
Most jackets in this shop are made for a smaller bust.
Aunt Rosa pinned the blouse near the bust to make it fit better.
- measure the bust
- across the bust
- a 36-inch bust
- bust size
Grammar Patterns
a [number]-inch bust
Usage Note
Used mainly in fashion, tailoring, and clothing-size contexts. Compare with sense noun/2 (sculpture) — same spelling, completely different meaning.
Common Mistakes
2. a statue showing only a person's head, neck, and the top of the chest — for exam
a statue showing only a person's head, neck, and the top of the chest — for example, a marble bust of a Roman emperor displayed in a museum.
A marble bust of Beethoven sat on the piano in the music room.
bust of [famous person] collocation
The museum bought a bronze bust of the queen for two million pounds.
Marcus carved a small clay bust of his grandfather from memory.
Dust had gathered on the bust standing beside the library window.
Roman emperors often had busts placed in every public square.
plural form 'busts'
- a marble bust
- a bronze bust
- a bust of [person]
- carve a bust
- full-length statue
shows the entire body
Grammar Patterns
a bust of [person]
Usage Note
Often paired with the material (marble, bronze, plaster, clay) and the named subject. Distinguish from a full statue, which shows the whole body.
Common Mistakes
3. a sudden visit by the police to catch criminals or seize illegal goods, often dr
a sudden visit by the police to catch criminals or seize illegal goods, often drugs — for example, when officers storm a flat at dawn and arrest the people inside.
The drug bust at the warehouse led to thirty arrests overnight.
drug bust collocation
Detective Wu has run more than fifty busts in the south district.
Reporters arrived just after the bust to film the seized cash.
The bust uncovered weapons hidden behind a false wall in the basement.
A small bust at the nightclub turned into a major investigation.
- a drug bust
- a major bust
- carry out a bust
- a bust on a club
Grammar Patterns
a drug bust
a bust on/at [place]
Usage Note
Informal; common in news headlines and crime reporting. Almost always preceded by an adjective naming the target (drug, gun, gambling, fraud).
Common Mistakes
4. something that fails badly and disappoints everyone involved, especially a proje
something that fails badly and disappoints everyone involved, especially a project, party, or trip that did not work out as hoped.
The Lins' beach holiday was a complete bust because it rained for six days.
be a (complete) bust pattern
The new dating app turned out to be a total bust for Marcus.
Sales were so low that the spring launch was a bust.
Lina's birthday party was a bust — only three guests showed up.
The fishing trip was a bust because the lake had frozen overnight.
- a total bust
- a complete bust
- turn out to be a bust
Grammar Patterns
be a (total/complete) bust
Usage Note
Almost always with the verb 'be' and an adjective like 'total', 'complete', or 'real'. Subject is an event, plan, product, or trip — not a person.
Common Mistakes
bust — verb
- bustpresent simple I / you / we / they
- bustshe / she / it
- bustedpast simple
- busting-ing form
1. to damage or split something by pushing, hitting, or pulling it with force, so t
to damage or split something by pushing, hitting, or pulling it with force, so that it stops working or comes apart.
Marcus busted the lock on the shed with a heavy hammer.
bust + physical object
Be careful — Lina just busted the screen of her new phone.
The firefighters busted the door open to reach the trapped child.
bust + open particle
Sara fell off her bike and busted her front tooth on the pavement.
Don't let the kids bust the swing by jumping on it together.
- bust the lock
- bust open
- bust a window
- bust your tooth
Grammar Patterns
bust + object
bust + open/up
Usage Note
Informal alternative to 'break'. Past tense is usually 'busted' in American English; 'bust' as past form is dialectal. Often paired with particles like 'open' or 'up'.
Common Mistakes
2. if police bust someone, they catch and arrest that person, especially for drugs;
if police bust someone, they catch and arrest that person, especially for drugs; if they bust a place, they enter it suddenly to find evidence and seize the people inside.
Officer Tanaka busted three teenagers for selling cannabis behind the school.
bust + person + for + offence
Federal agents busted a gambling den hidden above a noodle shop.
bust + place
Carlos was busted at the airport with two kilos of cocaine in his suitcase.
passive: be busted for/with
The drug squad busted the warehouse just before sunrise on Friday.
Lina was scared of getting busted for drinking under age.
informal: get busted
- bust someone for drugs
- get busted
- bust a ring
- bust a dealer
- release
to let someone go free
Grammar Patterns
bust + person
bust + place
be busted for + offence
Usage Note
Subject must be police, agents, or another law-enforcement body. Frequently passive: 'get/be busted for + offence'. Compare noun/3, the noun form of the same event.
Common Mistakes
3. to punish a soldier or police officer by moving them down to a junior rank or a
to punish a soldier or police officer by moving them down to a junior rank or a smaller role, often after a serious mistake.
The colonel busted Sergeant Lopez to private after the missing-rifle incident.
bust + person + to + lower rank
Captain Reyes was busted down to lieutenant for insulting a senior officer.
passive + 'down to' particle
If you fall asleep on watch one more time, the major will bust you.
Two corporals were busted last month for taking bribes from suppliers.
The chief threatened to bust any officer caught lying in the report.
- bust someone to private
- bust down to
- get busted in rank
- promote
to move someone up to a higher rank
Grammar Patterns
bust + somebody + to + lower rank
Usage Note
Used mostly in American military and police settings. The new rank often follows with 'to' or 'down to'. Distinguish from verb/2 — that one means to arrest a civilian, this one means to punish a junior by lowering their rank.
Common Mistakes
4. to strike someone with your fist, often on the face or jaw, as a quick and force
to strike someone with your fist, often on the face or jaw, as a quick and forceful punch.
Marcus busted the burglar on the jaw and ran for the phone.
bust + person + on + body part
Carlos almost busted his cousin in the nose during the argument.
The boxer busted his rival with a clean right hook in round three.
If you say that again, I'll bust you in the mouth.
threat use: 'I'll bust you'
Lina's brother got busted in the eye during the bar fight.
- bust someone on the jaw
- bust in the mouth
- bust someone's lip
Grammar Patterns
bust + somebody + on/in + body part
Usage Note
Slangy and aggressive; common in fight scenes, sports talk, and informal threats. Often followed by 'on' or 'in' plus a body part (jaw, nose, mouth, lip).
Common Mistakes
bust up
phrasal verbTo end a relationship or cause something to break apart.
The band bust up after their lead singer left.
Did their marriage bust up because of money problems?
To tease or criticize someone in a playful or harsh way.
My brother loves to bust my chops about my cooking.
Did the coach bust your chops for missing practice?
To make a very strong effort to achieve something.
Sara bust a gut to finish the project on time.
Why should I bust a gut for a company that doesn't care?
To dance, especially with energy or style.
At the party, Diego busted out some impressive dance moves.
Can you bust a move to this song?
… or bust
idiomUsed to express determination to reach a goal or nothing else matters.
For Maya, it's graduation or bust this year.
We're driving to the coast, beach or bust!
bust — adjective
- bustpositive
- bustercomparative
- bustestsuperlative
1. having no more money to pay debts, so that a business has to shut down or a pers
having no more money to pay debts, so that a business has to shut down or a person can no longer afford anything.
The small bakery on Pine Street went bust after only one year.
go bust pattern (idiomatic)
Three airlines have gone bust since fuel prices rose last winter.
By the end of the holiday, Marcus was completely bust and had to call his dad.
be bust = have no money
The factory owners worried that one more bad season would leave them bust.
Lina's startup nearly went bust before a new investor stepped in.
- go bust
- nearly bust
- left bust
Grammar Patterns
go bust
be bust
Usage Note
Predicative only — used after verbs like 'go', 'be', 'leave somebody'. You cannot say 'a bust company'; say 'a company that has gone bust' instead.
Common Mistakes
2. of a machine, gadget, or part of the body: damaged so that it no longer works or
of a machine, gadget, or part of the body: damaged so that it no longer works or functions normally.
The kettle is bust again — I'll boil water in a saucepan.
be bust = broken (predicative)
Sara's laptop screen has been bust since the train ride.
Marcus thinks his ankle is bust after the football match.
Don't sit on that chair — one of the legs is bust.
The coffee machine in the staffroom has been bust for a week.
- be bust
- go bust (machine)
- completely bust
- broken
neutral; works in any register and position
- out of order
for public machines and equipment
Grammar Patterns
be bust
Usage Note
Predicative only and very informal. In American English, 'busted' is more common in this meaning. Distinguish from adj/1 — this sense is about objects or body parts not working, not about money.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All five verbs describe an object becoming damaged or coming apart, but they differ in force, register, and what gets affected. 'Break' is the neutral default — it works in any register and covers everything from a pencil to a promise. 'Bust' is the informal American cousin of 'break': you bust a lock, a phone screen, or a tooth, but you would not bust a contract in a serious newspaper. 'Smash' adds force and sound, suggesting flying pieces — you smash a window with a brick. 'Shatter' is reserved for hard, brittle materials like glass and ice, where the object explodes into many small fragments. 'Wreck' goes further still: after you wreck a car, the object is not just broken but ruined beyond repair. So if Marcus drops his phone, you can say he broke it, busted it (informal), smashed it (with force), shattered the screen (glass-specific), or wrecked it (now useless).
Common collocations
Etymology
Bust began life around the 1700s as a relaxed American-English pronunciation of 'burst', when the 'r' before a consonant was often softened or dropped. Speakers said 'bust' for 'burst', and the spelling followed the sound. From that root the verb branched out in the 1800s and 1900s into many informal meanings — to break apart, to go broke, to arrest, to demote, to punch — all sharing the idea of a sudden forceful split. The unrelated noun meaning 'sculpture of head and shoulders' came into English in the 1690s through French 'buste' from Italian 'busto', meaning the upper body, which also gave us the chest-measurement sense. So today's 'bust' is really two words that ended up looking the same.