verb / noun
bust
To break something's structure or functioning.
He drops the radio and busts its plastic casing.
Etymology
Bust is a variant of burst. It broadened from breaking open to damaging something or causing it to stop functioning, even without a literal rupture.
More examples
- Police busted the warehouse during a drug raid.
- The much-advertised show turned out to be a bust.
- The newspaper reported three arrests in the bust.
Forms
bust · busts · busted · busting
Similar words
- break
- The ordinary general term, while bust is informal and has arrest and failure extensions.