bust

Etymology 1

From Middle English busten, a variant of Middle English bursten, bresten (“to burst”). Compare German Low German basten and barsten (“to burst”). More at burst.

verb

1. (transitive, colloquial, chiefly US) To break.
   I busted my cooker while trying to fix it.
2. (transitive, slang) To arrest (someone) for a crime.
3. (transitive, slang) To catch (someone) in the act of doing something wrong, socially and morally inappropriate, or illegal, especially when being done in a sneaky or secretive state.
4. (snowboarding) An emphatic synonym of do or get.
   He busted huge air off that jump!
5. (US, informal) To reduce in rank.
   He busted him down to patrolman for insubordination.
   If Steinkamp doesn't take off that hat and stop messing around, I'm gonna bust him into a PFC. 1962, The Manchurian Candidate, 01:56:35
6. (finance, transitive) To undo a trade, generally an error trade, that has already been executed.
7. (poker) To lose all of one's chips.
8. (blackjack) To exceed a score of 21.
9. (transitive, slang) To break in (an animal).
   A few weeks later, Richard was killed accidentally while busting a wild mustang […] 1997, Charles Oswald, Gone with the Western Wind
10. (transitive, slang) To break in (a woman or girl), To deflower
    Smith hears Nancy's protests - "Don't ... no, please don't." - when Hicock menaces her with "You ever had a man?" Finding Hicock rubbing her thigh as she whimpers in fear, Smith confronts him about his intentions, and Hicock says, "First, I'm going to bust that little girl." Smith tells him no, but Hicock replies, "What do you care? You can bust her too." 2014, Tison Pugh, Truman Capote: A Literary Life at the Movies, page 127
11. (intransitive, slang) To ejaculate; to eject semen or to squirt.
    After ten times we fucked, I think I bust twice He was nice, kept my neck filled with ice 1996, Lil' Kim (lyrics and music), “Not Tonight”
12. (journalism, intransitive) For a headline to exceed the amount of space reserved for it.
    The temptation to squeeze in a favourite headline that busts by using the flexibility of new technology is often very strong. 1990, Paul Williams, The Computerized Newspaper: A Practical Guide for Systems Users, page 105
    If your headline busts (breaks the confines of the layout) you will know straightaway. Similarly, the computer will inform you, in terms of the number of lines, how much longer or shorter the copy is in relation to the space allotted. 2007, Rob Steen, Sports Journalism: A Multimedia Primer, page 167
13. (chess, slang) To refute an established opening.
    So is the King's Gambit really busted? 2012-04-02, Frederic Friedel, “Rajlich: Busting the King's Gambit, this time for sure”, in ChessBase

noun

1. (slang) The act of arresting someone for a crime, or raiding a suspected criminal operation.
   a narcotics bust
2. (slang) A police raid or takedown of a criminal enterprise.
3. (slang) A failed enterprise; a bomb.
4. (chess, slang) A refutation of an opening, or of a previously published analysis.
5. (slang) A disappointment.
6. (sports, derogatory) A player who fails to meet expectations.
7. (economics) The downward portion of a boom and bust cycle; a recession.

adj

1. (slang) Without any money, broke, bankrupt.
   After months of financial problems, the company finally went bust.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French buste, from Italian busto (“torso, upper body”), from Latin bustum (“funeral monument, tomb," originally "funeral pyre, place where corpses are burned”). Perhaps shortened from Latin ambustum, neuter of ambustus (“scorched”), past participle of ambūrō (“burn all over, scorch”), from ambi- (“around”) + ūrō (“to burn”).

noun

1. A sculptural portrayal of a person's head and shoulders.
2. The breasts and upper thorax of a woman.