bust2

verb (past and past participle busted or bust)

• 1break, split, or burst (something):they bust the tunnel wide open figurativethe film busts every box-office record
• [no object] come apart or split open:he was laughing fit to bust
• cause to collapse; defeat utterly:he promised to bust the mafia
• [no object] (bust up) (especially of a married couple) separate, typically after a quarrel.
• (bust something up) cause (something) to break up:men hired to bust up union rallies
• North American strike violently:they wanted to bust me on the mouth
• [no object] (bust out) break out; escape:she busted out of prison
• [no object] (in blackjack and similar card games) exceed the score of 21, losing one’s stake.

• 2chiefly North American raid or search (premises where illegal activity is suspected):their house got busted
• arrest:he was busted for drugs
• (be/get busted) be caught in the act of doing something wrong:I sneaked up on them and told them they were busted
• chiefly US reduce (a soldier) to a lower rank; demote:he was busted to private

noun

• 1a period of economic difficulty or depression:the boom was followed by the present bust

• 2a raid or arrest by the police:a drug bust

• 3a worthless thing:as a show it was a bust

adjective

• bankrupt:firms will go bust