- burst
- burst1 [bə:st US bə:rst] v past tense and past participle burst▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(break open)¦2 be bursting with something3¦(move suddenly)¦4 burst open5 be bursting to do something6 be bursting7 burst somebody's bubble8 burst its banksPhrasal verbsburst in on/upon somebody/somethingburst into somethingburst onto/upon/on somethingburst out▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[: Old English; Origin: berstan]1.) ¦(BREAK OPEN)¦ [I and T]if something bursts or if you burst it, it breaks open or apart suddenly and violently so that its contents come out▪ The pipes had burst and the house was under two feet of water.2.) be bursting with sthto have a lot of something or be filled with something▪ John was bursting with ideas and good humour.▪ The shops are bursting with food.be bursting with pride/energy/excitement etc▪ Your mum's bursting with pride for you.3.) ¦(MOVE SUDDENLY)¦ [I always + adverb/preposition]to move somewhere suddenly or quickly, especially into or out of a placeburst into/through/in etc▪ Jo burst into the room.4.) burst opento open suddenly▪ The door burst open and Tom ran into the room.5.) be bursting to do sth informalto want to do something very much▪ Zach was bursting to tell them something.6.) be burstinga) BrE informal to need to go to the toilet very soonb) also be bursting at the seamsto be so full that nothing else can fit inside7.) burst sb's bubble informalto destroy someone's beliefs or hopes about something▪ Steve was so happy I couldn't bear to burst his bubble.8.) burst its banksif a river bursts its banks, water from it goes on to the land→full (up) to bursting at ↑full1 (1), burst the bubble at ↑bubble1 (6), the bubble bursts at ↑bubble1 (5)burst in on/upon / [burst in on/upon sb/sth] phr vto interrupt something by entering a room, in a way that embarrasses you or other people▪ I'm sorry to burst in on you like this.burst into [burst into sth] phr v1.) to suddenly begin to make a sound, especially to start singing, crying, or laughing▪ Claire looked as if she were about to burst into tears .▪ Suddenly, the group burst into laughter .▪ Lydia burst into song .2.) burst into flames/flameto suddenly start to burn very strongly▪ Their car crashed and burst into flames.burst onto/upon/on [burst onto/upon/on sth] phr vto suddenly appear and become very successful▪ The band burst onto the music scene in 1997.burst out phr v1.) burst out laughing/crying/singing etcto suddenly start to laugh, cry etc▪ Everyone in the room burst out laughing.2.) to suddenly say something in a forceful way▪ 'I don't believe it!' she burst out angrily.→↑outburstburst 2burst2 n1.) the act of something bursting or the place where it has burst▪ a burst in the water pipe2.)a) a short sudden effort or increase in activityburst of▪ The van gave a sudden burst of speed.b) a short sudden and usually loud soundburst of▪ sharp bursts of machine gun firec) a sudden strong feeling or emotionburst of anger/enthusiasm/temper etc
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.