Definition

1. Noun:

   • A sudden, intense occurrence: A brief, powerful event or release of something.
   • A rapid, simultaneous discharge: A volley, as of gunfire.
   • The act of exploding or breaking open: The moment something ruptures from internal pressure.

2. Verb:

   • To break open or apart suddenly: To rupture violently, often with force and noise.
   • To emerge or appear suddenly: To come into view or action abruptly.
   • To be full to the point of overflowing: To be so full that containment is strained.
   • To give sudden, forceful expression to an emotion: To express a feeling in an abrupt, uncontrolled way.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • A sudden burst of rain soaked everyone.
  • The audience gave a burst of applause.
  • The burst of the balloon startled the baby.

• Verb:

  • The pipe will burst if it freezes.
  • She burst into the room, full of excitement.
  • The bags were bursting with groceries.
  • He burst into tears when he heard the news.

Advanced Usage

• "to be bursting with": To be full of and eager to express (an emotion, energy, or secret).

  • The children were bursting with excitement before the trip.

• "to burst onto the scene": To appear suddenly and make a strong impression in a particular field.

  • The young singer burst onto the scene with her debut album.

• "burst at the seams": To be extremely full or overcrowded.

  • The stadium was bursting at the seams for the final game.

Variants and Related Words

• Bursting (adj, present participle): The act of breaking open or being extremely full.

  • The bursting dam caused a flood.

• Burst (adj): Describes something that has ruptured.

  • He fixed the burst water pipe.

Synonyms

• Explode: To burst violently with a loud noise.
• Erupt: To break out or burst forth suddenly and often violently.
• Rupture: To break or burst suddenly.
• Outburst: A sudden, violent release of emotion or activity (noun form).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Burst into:

  • To suddenly start doing something (like crying, laughing, or burning).

    • The car burst into flames.
    • She burst into song.
  • To enter a place suddenly and forcefully.

    • He burst into the meeting.

• Burst out:

  • To suddenly begin doing something, especially laughing or crying.

    • They burst out laughing at the joke.
  • To exclaim something suddenly.

    • "That's not fair!" she burst out.

• Burst in (on):

  • To interrupt by entering suddenly or speaking abruptly.

    • Please don't burst in on our private conversation.

• Burst forth:

  • To emerge or appear suddenly and forcefully.

    • The sun burst forth from behind the clouds.

Related Idioms

• Burst someone's bubble: To disillusion someone; to destroy someone's happy or false idea.

  • I hate to burst your bubble, but that rumor isn't true.

• Burst open the doors: To make something accessible or available suddenly.

  • The new policy burst open the doors for more international students.

Noun

1. a sudden intense happening
   • an outburst of heavy rain
   • a burst of lightning
2. a sudden flurry of activity (often for no obvious reason)
   • a burst of applause
   • a fit of housecleaning
3. rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms
   • our fusillade from the left flank caught them by surprise
4. the act of exploding or bursting
   • the explosion of the firecrackers awoke the children
   • the burst of an atom bomb creates enormous radiation aloft

Verb

1. break open or apart suddenly and forcefully
   • The dam burst
2. cause to burst
   • The ice broke the pipe
3. emerge suddenly
   • The sun burst into view
4. be in a state of movement or action
   • The room abounded with screaming children
   • The garden bristled with toddlers
5. move suddenly, energetically, or violently
   • He burst out of the house into the cool night
6. burst outward, usually with noise
   • The champagne bottle exploded
7. force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up
   • break into tears
   • erupt in anger
8. come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
   • The bubble burst