burst

SayBURST/bɝst/UK/bɜːst/

Verbbursts, bursting, burst

Noun pluralbursts

13 meanings of burst

Practice

1
verbintransitive
To break open suddenly because of pressure pushing out from inside.
Like a balloon that pops when it gets too full of air.
If you fill the balloon with too much air, it will burst.
The old pipe burst during the cold night.
Similarpop, rupture, explode, split, blow
Note
2
verbtransitive
To make something break open by adding too much pressure inside.
Like squeezing a bag of chips until it pops open.
Don't burst the bubble wrap so loudly.
The boys burst the water balloons one by one.
Similarrupture, split, crack, break
Note
3
nouncountable
A sudden breaking open of something.
Like the pop you hear when a balloon breaks.
The burst of the old pipe soaked the carpet.
There was a loud burst when the balloon popped.
Similarrupture, breach, break, blowout
4
nouncountable
A sudden strong show of feeling, sound, or activity.
Like a quick splash of color that catches your eye.
A burst of laughter filled the room.
She finished the race with a burst of speed.
Similarspurt
Note
5
verbintransitive
To rush into or out of a place suddenly.
Like a dog running through an open door the second it sees it.
Don't burst into the room without knocking.
She burst out of the building when the alarm rang.
Similarbarge, rush, storm, charge, crash
6
verbintransitive
To suddenly break into a strong action, like crying or catching fire.
Like a cloud that suddenly lets go of all its rain.
She burst into tears when she heard the news.
The dry leaves can burst into flames in seconds.
Similarbreak, erupt, explode
Note
7
verbtransitive
To suddenly shatter or break into something with force.
Like a shout that breaks the silence of a quiet room.
The gunshot burst the silence of the forest.
Loud thunder can burst the peace of a quiet evening.
Similarshatter, break, pierce, smash, rupture
8
verbtransitive
To create something, like a hole, by breaking open.
Like popping a balloon and leaving a torn hole behind.
The explosion burst a hole in the side of the ship.
Enough force can burst an opening through the dam wall.
Similarblast, tear, rip, blow, punch
Note
9
nouncountable
The explosion of a bomb, shell, or missile.
Like a sudden flash and bang of fireworks in the sky.
The shell's burst lit up the night sky.
Soldiers ducked at the burst of the incoming shell.
Similarexplosion, blast, detonation
Note
10
nouncountable
A short, quick series of shots from an automatic gun.
Like pressing a button several times very fast in a row.
He fired a quick burst at the target.
A short burst from the rifle echoed across the range.
Similarvolley, salvo, spray, fusillade
11
verbtransitive
To tear apart sheets of printer paper along their dotted lines.
Like tearing paper towels apart along the dotted line.
Please burst the report into single sheets before mailing.
The machine burst the fanfold paper at each perforation.
Similarseparate, split

Less common meanings

12
verbobsoletetransitive
To break something by any method at all.
Like snapping a dry stick in two.
The blacksmith burst the iron chain with one blow.
He burst his lance against the sand below.
1600, [Torquato Tasso], Godfrey of BulloigneHere, burst means caused something to break.
Note
13
nounarchaic
A period of drinking a lot of alcohol.
Like a long party where the drinking never seems to stop.
He spent his wages on a three-day burst at the tavern.
After the harvest, the men went on a wild burst.
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of burst apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English berstan, going back to older Germanic and Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to burst, break, or split.