Busted or bust. Visit Grammarist today! Definition of bust verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. meaning "burst or explode," and busted are nonstandard. a sculpture of the head, shoulders, and upper chest of a. I wouldn't use "bust" to describe popping a balloon. 16 meanings: 1. Nevertheless, whenever I hear it from the mouth of a news announcer, or see it used in the context of a formal news story, it strikes me as nonstandard and unnecessarily jarring. And they used “bust” to mean punch or slug, a usage the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang traces back to 1873. It's closer to "smash" in meaning. Jack burst the balloon. Click for more definitions. As verbs the difference between burst and busted is that burst is to break from internal pressure while busted is Burst and bust are two different words. Maybe something like Jack busted my calculator. org The meaning of BUST is a sculptured representation of the upper part of the human figure including the head and neck and usually part of the shoulders and breast. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. " The balloon burst. Dec 10, 2011 · People began using “busted” to mean bankrupt (first recorded in 1829); demoted or reduced in rank (1918); and placed under arrest or raided (1953). See full list on writingexplained. Use burst instead. Burst is the same in the present, past, and past participle. Aug 13, 2010 · My inability to accept “bust” as an unexceptionable synonym for “break” or “arrest” may be totally irrational. Sep 18, 2025 · bust (third-person singular simple present busts, present participle busting, simple past and past participle busted or bust) (transitive, colloquial, chiefly US) To break. Jack busted the window. the chest of a human being, esp a woman's bosom 2. . BUST is NOT correct usage to describe an item that has shattered or broken, such as a balloon that has burst; nor is it correct usage to describe a person who has been caught doing something illegal or unacceptable. "Burst" can be used both to mean "popped on its own" and "popped (something else). Is it Bused, bussed, or bust? Learn the difference between the homophones Bused, bussed, or bust, their usage, & easy examples. I hope this is helpful! Word forms: busts, busting, busted language 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. fqedct cihxt7 afvnw7 f3pn 1dj u1ono vacgbj ij2ga uyu biy