bust
to break or damage something so it does not work well or looks very bad
To break or badly damage something so that it no longer works properly or is in poor condition.
to catch and arrest someone, or to catch someone doing something bad
To arrest someone, or to catch someone in the act of doing something illegal or seriously wrong.
for a business or project to lose all its money and stop working, often said as "go bust"
For a business, project, or sometimes a person to lose so much money that it fails, often described in the fixed phrase "go bust".
a police action where officers suddenly arrest people, often for drugs or other serious crime
A police operation in which officers suddenly arrest one or more people, especially in cases involving drugs or organized crime.
something that fails very badly or is not good at all
An event, plan, or effort that fails badly or turns out to be very disappointing.
the front of a woman’s upper body, especially her breasts, often used when talking about size for clothes
The front part of a woman's upper body, especially her breasts, often referred to when talking about body shape or clothing size.
a statue that shows only a person’s head, neck, and top of the chest and shoulders
A sculpture that represents a person's head, neck, and the upper part of the chest and shoulders.
broken and not working, especially in informal speech
Broken or not working properly because it is damaged.
a time when the economy or a market becomes very bad after it was growing fast
A period of serious decline in an economy or market, especially after a previous period of rapid growth or a "boom".
- Base: bust
- Base: bust
- Plural: busts
- Base: bust
- 3rd Person Singular: busts
- Present Participle: busting
- Past: bust, busted
- Past Participle: bust
- Irregular past participle: bust Verb
bust a move
1Start dancing or acting energetically
to begin dancing, or to start doing something with a lot of energy and style
- When the song came on, everyone busted a move on the dance floor.
- Come on, bust a move and show us what you’ve got.
- He finally busted a move and asked her to dance.
bust in
1Enter or interrupt suddenly
to come into a room or place very quickly and without being polite, often stopping what others are doing
- He just busted in without knocking.
- The police busted in while they were eating dinner.
- Don’t bust in on us when we’re in a meeting.
bust open
1Force something closed to open
to make something that is closed open by using a lot of force, often breaking it
- They busted open the locked box to see what was inside.
- The firemen busted the door open to rescue the family.
- The old suitcase finally busted open on the conveyor belt.
bust out
1Escape from prison or restriction
to get out of a place where you are kept or not free, especially a prison, often suddenly
- The movie is about a group of inmates who bust out of prison.
- He spent years planning how to bust out.
- They tried to bust out during the night but were caught.
bust up
1Break or end something forcefully
to break something badly, or to end a fight, event, or relationship by stopping it and separating people
- The police arrived just in time to bust up the fight.
- They busted up the old table and used the wood for a fire.
- She finally busted up with her boyfriend after years of problems.
drug bust
1Police operation against drug crime
a planned action by police to catch people with illegal drugs and take the drugs away
- Ten suspects were arrested in a massive drug bust.
- The drug bust shut down a major supply route into the city.
- Photos from the drug bust showed tables covered with seized cocaine.
go bust
1Become bankrupt or stop trading
to lose so much money that a business or person cannot pay debts and must stop normal business
- Several small shops went bust when the new mall opened.
- If they don’t find new investors soon, the company could go bust.
- The travel agency went bust and customers lost their money.
boom and bust
1cycle of growth then decline
A repeated cycle where the economy grows very fast and then goes down again.
- The country has gone through several boom and bust cycles.
- The oil industry has always been a story of boom and bust.
- This industry is known for its boom and bust pattern.
- Politicians say they want to end the boom‑and‑bust cycle in housing.
- Better regulation could reduce the effects of boom and bust on small businesses.
- Farmers in the region are used to boom and bust years.
boom or bust
1either great success or failure
Used when something will either succeed in a very big way or fail completely, with little middle ground.
- For many start-ups, it’s boom or bust in the first few years.
- The project is a boom or bust gamble for the company.
- In that risky market, it’s often boom or bust.
boom or bust
2Either great success or total failure
a situation where something will either do very, very well or fail very badly, with nothing in between
- For many startups it’s boom or bust within the first few years.
- Investing all your savings in one stock is a boom‑or‑bust strategy.
- It was boom or bust for the small mining town.
bust a gut
1Work extremely hard or laugh hard
to work very, very hard, or to laugh so much that your stomach hurts
- They busted a gut trying to finish on time.
- They busted a gut to get the project finished on time.
- He busted a gut studying for the exam.
- Don’t bust a gut over it; it’s not that important.
- The comedian had the whole audience busting a gut with laughter.
bust someone's chops
1Annoy someone with criticism or nagging
to bother someone by telling them what they did wrong or pushing them to do something, often again and again and sometimes as a joke
- Quit busting my chops; I said I’d finish it by Friday.
- He likes to bust your chops, but he doesn’t mean anything by it.
- My boss has been busting my chops about the report all week.
bust someone's chops
2bother or pressure someone
To keep criticizing, pushing, or annoying someone, often in a playful or complaining way.
- My boss has been busting my chops all week about this report.
- I'm not trying to bust your chops; I just want you to do your best.
- They love to bust each other's chops, but it's all in good fun.