Adjacent Words

Bust definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BUST, n. [L. bustum.] In sculpture, the figure of a person in relief, showing only the head, shoulders and stomach; ordinarily placed on a pedestal or console. In speaking of an antique, we say the head is marble and the bust porphyry or bronze; that is, the shoulders and stomach. The Italians use the word for the trunk of the body from the neck to the hips.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: lacking funds; "`skint' is a British slang term" [syn: broke, bust, skint, stone-broke, stony-broke] n
1: a complete failure; "the play was a dismal flop" [syn: flop, bust, fizzle]
2: the chest of a woman [syn: female chest, bust]
3: a sculpture of the head and shoulders of a person
4: an occasion for excessive eating or drinking; "they went on a bust that lasted three days" [syn: bust, tear, binge, bout] v
1: ruin completely; "He busted my radio!" [syn: break, bust] [ant: bushel, doctor, fix, furbish up, mend, repair, restore, touch on]
2: search without warning, make a sudden surprise attack on; "The police raided the crack house" [syn: raid, bust]
3: separate or cause to separate abruptly; "The rope snapped"; "tear the paper" [syn: tear, rupture, snap, bust]
4: go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely" [syn: break, wear, wear out, bust, fall apart]
5: break open or apart suddenly and forcefully; "The dam burst" [syn: burst, bust]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: French buste, from Italian busto, from Latin bustum tomb Date: 1645 1. a sculptured representation of the upper part of the human figure including the head and neck and usually part of the shoulders and breast 2. the upper part of the human torso between neck and waist; especially the breasts of a woman II. verb (busted; also bust; busting) Etymology: alteration of burst Date: 1806 transitive verb 1. a. to break or smash especially with force; also to make inoperative <busted my watch> b. to bring an end to ; break up <helped bust trusts — Newsweek> — often used with up <better not try to bust up his happy marriage — Forbes> c. to ruin financially d. exhaust, wear out — used in phrases like bust one's butt to describe making a strenuous effort e. to give a hard time to — often used in phrases like bust one's chops 2. tame <bronco busting> 3. demote 4. slang a. arrest <busted for carrying guns — Saul Gottlieb> b. raid <busted the apartment> 5. hit, slug intransitive verb 1. to go broke 2. a. burst <laughing fit to bust> b. break down 3. a. to lose at cards by exceeding a limit (as the count of 21 in blackjack) b. to fail to complete a straight or flush in poker III. noun Date: 1840 1. a. spree b. a hearty drinking session <a beer bust> 2. a. a complete failure ; flop b. a business depression 3. punch, sock 4. slang a. a police raid b. arrest 2 IV. adjective or busted Date: 1837 bankrupt, broke <go bust>

NOAA Weather Glossary

An inaccurate forecast,  usually a situation in whichsignificant weather is expected, but does not occur.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. 1 a the human chest, esp. that of a woman; the bosom. b the circumference of the body at bust level (a 36-inch bust). 2 a sculpture of a person's head, shoulders, and chest. Etymology: F buste f. It. busto, of unkn. orig. 2. v., n., & adj. --v. (past and past part. busted or bust) colloq. 1 tr. & intr. burst, break. 2 tr. esp. US reduce (a soldier etc.) to a lower rank; dismiss. 3 tr. esp. US a raid, search. b arrest. --n. 1 a sudden failure; a bankruptcy. 2 a police raid. 3 a drinking-bout. 4 esp. US a punch; a hit. 5 a worthless thing. 6 a bad hand at cards. --adj. (also busted) 1 broken, burst, collapsed. 2 bankrupt. Phrases and idioms: bust up 1 bring or come to collapse; explode. 2 (of esp. a married couple) separate. bust-up n. 1 a quarrel. 2 a collapse; an explosion. go bust become bankrupt; fail. Etymology: orig. a (dial.) pronunc. of BURST

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bust Bust (b[u^]st), n. [F. buste, fr. It. busto; cf. LL. busta, bustula, box, of the same origin as E. box a case; cf., for the change of meaning, E. chest. See Bushel.] 1. A piece of sculpture representing the upper part of the human figure, including the head, shoulders, and breast. Ambition sighed: she found it vain to trust The faithless column, and the crumbling bust. --Pope. 2. The portion of the human figure included between the head and waist, whether in statuary or in the person; the chest or thorax; the upper part of the trunk of the body.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(busts, busting, busted) Note: The form 'bust' is used as the present tense of the verb, and can also be used as the past tense and past participle. 1. If you bust something, you break it or damage it so badly that it cannot be used. (INFORMAL) They will have to bust the door to get him out. VERB: V n 2. If someone is busted, the police arrest them. (INFORMAL) They were busted for possession of cannabis. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed 3. If police bust a place, they go to it in order to arrest people who are doing something illegal. (INFORMAL) ...police success in busting UK-based drug factories. VERB: V n • Bust is also a noun. Six tons of cocaine were seized last week in Panama's biggest drug bust. N-COUNT 4. A company or fund that is bust has no money left and has been forced to close down. (INFORMAL BUSINESS) It is taxpayers who will pay most of the bill for bailing out bust banks. ADJ 5. If a company goes bust, it loses so much money that it is forced to close down. (INFORMAL BUSINESS) ...a Swiss company which went bust last May. PHRASE: V inflects 6. A bust is a statue of the head and shoulders of a person. ...a bronze bust of the Queen. N-COUNT: oft N of n 7. You can use bust to refer to a woman's breasts, especially when you are describing their size. Good posture also helps your bust look bigger. N-COUNT

Moby Thesaurus

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