bust 1 of 3

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as in arrest
slang the act of taking or holding under one's control by authority of law those lowlifes were nabbed for drug dealing in a massive bust last month

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bust

2 of 3

verb

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as in to reduce
to bring to a lower grade or rank the commander threatened to bust her for failing to salute

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as in to bankrupt
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts gambling is a dangerous habit that has busted many unfortunate souls

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bust

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adjective

variants or busted

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bust
Noun
Worth noting: Contains underwire; sizing is by bust, not waist or hips Finding a one-piece with real support and shaping—especially in true cup sizes—is a game changer, and Boden delivers exactly that. Malia Griggs, Glamour, 6 June 2025 And last year, when Silicon Valley Bank—favored by startups—was about to go bust, the U.S. Treasury Department, the U.S. Federal Reserve, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, came to its customers’ rescue. Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2024
Verb
Existing home sales unexpectedly rose in May, but still marked the slowest sales pace for any May since 2009, further evidence that the typically busy spring selling season has been a bust. Preston Fore, Fortune, 20 July 2025 The files, however, were a bust, consisting mostly of uninteresting or already public information. Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 18 July 2025
Adjective
The new school would help relieve busting enrollment at both Rutland and Gladeville Elementary Schools, Barker said. Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 20 July 2025 Last year, a passenger was busted at Miami International Airport for trying to get onto an airplane with a bag of snakes in the passenger's pants. Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 16 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for bust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bust
Noun
  • People threw punches, kicked and jeered as a man on the ground tried to fend off the blows and a woman tumbled to the concrete, bloody and disoriented.
    Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 2 Aug. 2025
  • For a country like Italy, which prioritizes value for money, this is a devastating blow.
    Elisabetta Tosi, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Despite a joint preliminary damage assessment estimating over $15.8 million in emergency response costs and infrastructure damage, the federal government denied Maryland’s request for federal disaster assistance.
    Danny Tow, Baltimore Sun, 28 July 2025
  • Phone systems are often down or busy after a disaster.
    Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 28 July 2025
Noun
  • Epstein's circle—including influential fellow financiers, scientists and politicians—has remained a topic of public and political scrutiny since his arrest and subsequent 2019 death in a New York City jail cell.
    Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
  • The card was discovered on his person at the scene of his arrest.
    Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 25 July 2025
Noun
  • Retail traders are on a buying spree that can keep equities marching to record highs.
    Fred Imbert, CNBC, 23 July 2025
  • That wound up turning into a chaotic nine-day spree of surprise shows in people’s yards, following a pop-up show on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
    Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 23 July 2025
Verb
  • Do not follow large vehicles closely - Large vehicles like trucks or buses can create a spray of water that can reduce your visibility.
    KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2025
  • Morning dopamine spikes from phone use reduce your motivation to pursue slower, more meaningful tasks later.
    Ximena Araya-Fischel, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
Verb
  • Here, DeMonaco teases more interesting ideas about how the greed of older people has bankrupted current and future inhabitants of this fragile planet.
    Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2025
  • One of them failed ‒ a franchise of Dickey's Barbecue Pit, which also bankrupted many other franchisees.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 24 July 2025
Verb
  • Frequent use can disrupt normal bowel function and lead to laxative dependence or chronic constipation.7 Only use castor oil under medical guidance.
    Lindsay Curtis, Verywell Health, 11 July 2025
  • Underneath the fun exterior, Red Bull was serious about its ambitions of disrupting F1’s front-runners and assembling a team that was capable of winning a championship.
    Luke Smith, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • The floods that hit the Hill Country nearly three weeks ago killed dozens of young girls at Camp Mystic, many of whose families live in the Houston region.
    Bayliss Wagner, Austin American Statesman, 25 July 2025
  • More: Bourbon, other U.S. spirits could soon be hit with retaliatory EU tariffs.
    Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 25 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bust. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.

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