bursts

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of burst.

   The pipe bursts whenever the water pressure climbs too high.

   She bursts into laughter at the slightest joke.

   Note

   The only form of the verb that takes an ending. Burst stays the same as base, past tense and past participle: yesterday it burst, it has burst, but today it bursts. Beyond pipes and balloons giving way, it often signals sudden entrances and eruptions. It commonly pairs with into or out, as in bursts into tears, bursts into the room, or bursts out laughing.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of burst.

   Sudden bursts of wind rattled the windows all through the night.

   The automatic rifle fired in short three-round bursts.

   Note

   A plural that gathers several countable uses under one spelling. It can mean sudden outbreaks of feeling or activity (bursts of laughter, bursts of energy), volleys from an automatic weapon, or the explosions of shells and bombs. In the firearm sense it often takes a measure, as in short bursts or three-round bursts. The meaning 'drinking spree' is archaic, so in that sense the plural sounds old-fashioned.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2