bust

/bʌst/
adjective
  1. Broken or not working.
    • The elevator is bust again; we have to take the stairs.
    • The old TV is bust, so we need a new one.
    • My phone screen is bust after dropping it.
  2. Bankrupt or financially ruined.
    • He lost everything and ended up bust.
    • After the recession, many small businesses went bust.
    • The company is bust and cannot pay its debts.
noun
  1. A sculpture of a person's head, shoulders, and upper chest.
    • She sculpted a bust of her grandfather for art class.
    • A bronze bust of the founder stands in the library lobby.
    • The museum displayed a marble bust of the ancient poet.
  2. A woman's chest or breasts.
    • She measured her bust size before ordering the blouse.
    • The dress was designed to fit a smaller bust.
    • The mannequin had a 36-inch bust.
  3. A failure or collapse, especially in business or finance.
    • After the boom, the housing market experienced a bust.
    • His first business venture was a complete bust.
    • The company's expansion led to a financial bust.
  4. A police raid or arrest.
    • The drug bust made headlines across the city.
    • Police conducted a bust at the illegal gambling den.
    • The bust resulted in several arrests.
Synonyms
Antonyms
verb
  1. To break, smash, or damage something.
    • The kids busted their toy truck by playing too rough.
    • He accidentally busted the window with a baseball.
    • She busted the lock trying to open the old chest.
  2. To arrest or raid by police.
    • Police busted the party for underage drinking.
    • He was busted for driving without a license.
    • The officers busted the thieves as they left the store.
  3. To work very hard (often 'bust a gut' or 'bust one's ass' but in clean contexts, 'bust' alone).
    • They busted all day to finish the project on time.
    • The team busted through the final challenge.
    • She busted to get the garden ready before the rain.
  4. To reduce in rank or status; to demote.
    • The officer was busted to private for insubordination.
    • They busted him down a grade for breaking the rules.
    • He got busted from manager to assistant after the mistake.
What does "bust" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean