noun
plural busts
[count] a sculpture of a person's head and neck and usually a part of the shoulders and chest
a woman's breasts
a measurement taken around a woman's chest and back
verb
busts; busted also Brit bust; busting
[+ obj] informal
to break (something): such as
to cause (something) to stop working by damaging it
to cause (something) to separate into parts or pieces
to arrest (someone)
to catch (someone) doing something wrong
US impolite - used in phrases like bust your butt/ass to describe working very hard
US :to hit or punch (someone)
bust a/your gut
bust out
[phrasal verb] informal
bust out (doing something) :to begin (doing something) suddenly :to burst out (doing something)
bust out (something) or bust (something) out :to take (something) from the place where it is stored so that it can be used
to escape from a prison, jail, etc.
bust up
[phrasal verb] informal
to end your relationship with someone
bust up (something) or bust (something) up :to cause (something) to end
or bust
informal - used to say that you will do everything possible to get somewhere
noun
plural busts
[count] informal
US :a complete failure :flop
usually singular
an occurrence in which the police catch and arrest people committing a crime
adjective
go bust
informal :to spend or lose all of your money :to go broke
US