busted 1 of 2

adjective

as in broken
forcibly separated into many pieces a busted headlight

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busted

2 of 2

verb

variants also bust
past tense of bust
1
as in demoted
to bring to a lower grade or rank the commander threatened to bust her for failing to salute

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2
as in ruined
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts gambling is a dangerous habit that has busted many unfortunate souls

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3
as in disrupted
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly the butterfingered husband had busted more plates than he cared to remember

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4
as in knocked
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner busted the storekeeper on the nose and was promptly arrested for it

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5
as in arrested
slang to take or keep under one's control by authority of law the cops busted the revelers for drinking in public

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6
as in killed
to use up all the physical energy of I had to bust my butt in order to get the project done on time

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of busted
Adjective
Thornton scored from Mahomes later on a busted coverage by Chamarri Conner, who was quick to turn to Steve Spagnuolo to take the blame. — Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026 By the end of the night, the pavement was littered with busted watermelons, sodas and chips, according to law enforcement and social media videos. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026 The components might be familiar—guitars that sound like they’re played through a busted Zenith TV at full volume, heavy acoustic strumming à la ’90s folk-grunge group Days of the New, Slocum’s fading read-out of a voice—but they’re all pulled into slightly unusual shapes. — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 1 June 2026 Moore suffered a possible broken nose and busted lip, the warrant said. — Charlotte Observer, 1 June 2026 Makar may be part cyborg, but even the tightest machines can’t hide a busted axle. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 20 May 2026 Here is the story of Eternally Yours, the first-ever busted script featured on Dead Pilots Society to subsequently make it to series. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 1 May 2026 Anyone with a busted NCAA Tournament bracket can still appreciate the bracket one mom has put up on her family's wall in Chicago's southwest suburbs. — Noel Brennan, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026 McAneney had a busted lip and a scratch underneath his right eye in his mugshot. — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
Corbin fractured his jaw in two places, busted his upper arm, and lacerated his lip. — Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 Continue reading … PENALTY ON THE PLAY – 49ers owner busted in $140 prostitution sting near Ohio trailer park. — FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 He was busted at least five times for pot possession but never did serious jail time. — Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 20 Aug. 2026 Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom is fixing its broken yeti, the star of thrilling roller coaster Expedition Everest that has been busted for about 20 years. — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Fisher said three witnesses, including a veterinarian, saw the weight on the scale that busted the record. — Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026 Barbecho’s license had been suspended since April 2025 when he was busted for drunk driving, officials said. — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026 But Americans who have lost their jobs – or are seeking to bust into the job market for the first time – are struggling to catch a break. — Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026 The grizzly bear had just busted over the low ridge at 40 yards, and was barreling right at me. — Todd Orr, Outdoor Life, 30 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for busted
  1. broken
  2. demoted
  3. ruined
  4. disrupted
  5. knocked
  6. arrested
  7. killed
  8. shattered
Adjective
  • Casper Kelly, the delightfully skewed sensibility behind Adult Swim’s ‘Too Many Cooks,’ makes a first theatrical feature that feels like a broken time loop.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Mass spectrometry revealed that the broken containers had once held something containing the chemical compounds theobromine, theophylline, caffeine, and paraxanthine.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of broken
Verb
  • An officer with the Porter County Sheriff’s Department who misused the county’s license plate reader system has been demoted, suspended without pay and faced other disciplinary measures, according to a release from Sheriff Jeffery Balon.
    — Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Ramirez was surprised and very upset when the team demoted him to Jacksonville in May, according to a team source.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of demoted
Verb
  • Three winemakers earlier this month filed suit against the owner of Hundred Acre Wines, Jayson Woodbridge, and his company alleging that smoke from the wildfire ruined their harvests, the Press Democrat reported.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Authorities in Napa County have charged a man for allegedly setting the 2025 Pickett Fire near Calistoga, which burned thousands of acres of Wine Country and ruined grape harvests because of the smoke.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruined
Verb
  • Efforts to bring the outbreak under control — from limited public gatherings to social distancing and airport closures — have disrupted life in the six affected provinces, particularly Ituri, which has been ravaged by rebel violence.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The choices of what to put in each episode — and when to cut from one timeline to another — have sometimes felt arbitrary, and have often disrupted the story’s overall flow.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of disrupted
Verb
  • But their rookie linebacker extended his arms, threw out a hand and knocked the ball free from London’s grasp.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • When the group decided to move the party to a house nearby, Pysher walked there alone and mistakenly knocked on the wrong door.
    — Tom Hanson, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of knocked
Verb
  • But her condition has deteriorated significantly in the months since she was first arrested in Miami-Dade County on May 5 and booked on a misdemeanor battery charge.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Weatherall was arrested in connection with the incident, per the outlet, Fox Carolina and Greenville County public arrest records.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of arrested
Verb
  • Rob and Michelle Reiner were killed on December 14, 2025, and Nick is charged with two counts of murder.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Son of a partisan fighter The son of a World War Two partisan fighter killed in 1945, Mladic was an officer in the old communist Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) when Yugoslavia's disintegration began in 1991.
    — Ivana Sekularac, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of killed
Adjective
  • Blüh found a shattered wine bottle and cleaning supplies scattered all around her store.
    — Andrea Nakano, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band alongside the Bee-Gees, and then struggled to pick up the pieces of his shattered career until childhood buddy David Bowie brought him back in front of stadium crowds on the Glass Spider tour.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of shattered

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Busted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/busted. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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