1. The chest of a woman
   "Mammograms are used to screen the bust for breast cancer";
   - female chest
    
2. A sculpture of the head and shoulders of a person
   "A marble bust of the president stood in the museum"
    
3. [informal] A complete failure
   "the play was a dismal bust";
   - flop [informal], fizzle, clinker [N. Amer, informal], epic fail [informal], dud, washout, clunker [N. Amer, informal]
    
4. [informal] An occasion for excessive eating or drinking
   "they went on a bust that lasted three days";
   - tear [US, informal], binge [informal], bout

1. Ruin completely
   "The scandal bust his political career";
   - break
    
2. Search without warning, make a sudden surprise attack on
   "The police bust the crack house";
   - raid
    
3. Separate or cause to separate abruptly
   "bust the paper";
   - tear, rupture, snap
    
4. Break open or apart suddenly and forcefully
   "The dam bust";
   - burst

1. Without or very short of money
   "not so long ago that he was so bust his debit card was declined";
   - broke [informal], skint [Brit, informal], stone-broke [N. Amer, informal], stony-broke [Brit, informal], strapped [informal], cash-strapped [informal], strapped for cash [informal]
    
2. [Brit, informal] Not in working order; not functioning
   "a bust washing machine";
   - broken, busted, up the spout [informal], on the blink [informal], rooted [Austral, NZ, informal], on the fritz [N. Amer, informal], out of order, kaput [informal], knackered [Brit, informal]
    
3. Financially ruined
   "The company went bust during the recession";
   - bankrupt, belly-up [informal]

Sounds like: bused, bussed

Derived forms: busts, busting, bust

See also: bust up [informal], damaged, insolvent, poor, pull down, rip up, tear apart [informal]

Type of: assail, attack, break, chest, come apart, destroy, disunite, divide, failure, fall apart, loser, no-hoper [informal], nonstarter, part, pectus, revel, revelry, ruin, sculpture, separate, split up, thorax, unsuccessful person

Part of: female body

Encyclopedia: Bust, waist, and hip measurement