bust

noun
UK: /bʌst/
US: /bʌst/

  1. A sculpture of the head and shoulders of a person.

    1. The museum has a marble bust of the former president. [ ] [ ]
    2. The artist decided to create a bronze bust to commemorate the war hero. [ ] [ ]

  2. A woman's chest; the measurement around a woman's chest.

    1. The dress was too tight across the bust. [ ] [ ]
    2. She adjusted the bodice to better fit her bust measurement for the gown. [ ] [ ]

  3. A failure; something that doesn't work out as planned.

    1. The party was a complete bust because nobody came. [ ] [ ]
    2. Despite all the hype, the new product launch turned out to be a total bust. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

capture arrest sculpture flop failure smash torso degrade break
bust verb

  1. To break something, often into pieces.

    1. I bust my phone screen when I dropped it. [ ] [ ]
    2. The company planned to bust the illegal gambling operation downtown. [ ] [ ]

  2. To arrest someone.

    1. The police bust him for drunk driving last night. [ ] [ ]
    2. Undercover officers will bust anyone selling narcotics in the park. [ ] [ ]

  3. To degrade in status.

    1. He was busted to private after the incident. [ ] [ ]
    2. The lieutenant was busted for conduct unbecoming of an officer. [ ] [ ]
bust adjective

  1. Not working; broken.

    1. The old TV is bust and needs replacing. [ ] [ ]
    2. My car is bust, and I cannot get to work this week without repairs. [ ] [ ]
bust phrasal-verb

  1. To search or raid a place.

    1. The cops bust in and arrested the suspects. [ ] [ ]
    2. They plan to bust in the place to retrieve the secret document. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "bust" in English means: A sculpture of the head and shoulders of a person., A woman's chest; the measurement around a woman's chest., A failure; something that doesn't work out as planned..

The phonetic transcription of "bust" is /bʌst/ in British English and /bʌst/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "bust": capture, arrest, sculpture, flop, failure, smash, torso, degrade, break.

Example usage of "bust": "The museum has a marble bust of the former president.". More examples on the page.