1
as in to explode
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure
the turnover's crust burst when the filling expanded
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shatter
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
finally burst the piñata open with one mighty swing of the bat
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in flurry
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity
a sudden burst of industriousness whenever the boss appeared
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in explosion
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
a burst of anger that startled the other members on the panel
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of burst
Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2025
Goldee’s Bar-B-Q Fort Worth, Texas Goldee’s burst onto the Texas scene in 2020 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and ever since it’s been one of the hottest draws (and longest waits) in the state.
—Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
The moment was electric and gave the crowd a burst of energy to match Fish’s equally electric set.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for burst
Verb
Carson Diehl burst onto the football scene as a sophomore in 2023.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2025
Goldee’s Bar-B-Q Fort Worth, Texas Goldee’s burst onto the Texas scene in 2020 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and ever since it’s been one of the hottest draws (and longest waits) in the state.
—Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
Eventually, Slightly and Smee bring Arthur to the beach, where the baby Xenomorph bursts from his chest, killing him.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
The moment was electric and gave the crowd a burst of energy to match Fish’s equally electric set.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for burst
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burst
Verb
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That is when rent prices—as well as home prices—exploded amid a sudden surge in demand as the pandemic triggered a wave of people moving from bigger cities to smaller towns and the suburbs or looking to live on their own.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Believe it or not, the spider population hasn't suddenly exploded.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office has identified the driver and passenger of a white pickup truck alleged to be throwing objects at moving cars and shattering their windshields, according to a sheriff’s social media post.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
19 Sep. 2025
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Black Rabbit is a propulsive thrill ride and character examination about the way an unbreakable bond between two brothers can shatter their world and everything in its orbit.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Kering has been dragged down by steep declines at its star brand and a bulging debt load, forcing the group to shutter stores, offload real estate and reduce headcount after a dismal start to the year that saw group net profit plummet 46 percent in the first half.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The cockpit, itself about as big as an entire Gulfstream private jet, looks like a pimple bulging from the WindRunner’s staggering frame.—
Andrew Moseman,
IEEE Spectrum,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Advertisement The flurry of updates came three days after Robinson was arrested following an intensive hunt for Kirk's killer.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The flurry of summer comes to an end and routine returns.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Sure, other fates are possible, like direct collapse to a black hole or explosions through the pair-instability mechanism, but a core-collapse supernova (also known as a type II supernova) represents the fate of the majority of the most massive stars ever to be born.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
12 Sep. 2025
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Such an explosion would happen to the smallest possible black holes, at most, once every 100,000 years, according to previous theories.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As part of the new study, Knutsen and her team programmed Perseverance's cameras to watch the sky after solar eruptions known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) blasted in the direction of Mars.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Kamchatka sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic activity frequently triggers earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.—
Amanda Castro
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Instead, the redesign detonated a culture war.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
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The drone snagged on the netting, then detonated.—
Ken Harbaugh,
The Atlantic,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As the first half drew to a close, Calvert-Lewin towered above Kenny Tete to nod a ball down that Sean Longstaff would eventually smash off the crossbar.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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In the worst-case scenario, a collision could smash a satellite into many more pieces of space debris, which each then go on to collide with more satellites, which produces more chunks of space junk, and so on and so forth.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Burst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burst. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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