| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
| |
| burst |
| |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  bûrst |
| VERB: | Inflected forms: burst, burst·ing, bursts
| | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | 1a. To come open or fly apart suddenly or violently, especially from internal pressure. b. To explode. 2. To be or seem to be full to the point of breaking open: The sacks were bursting with grain. 3. To emerge, come forth, or arrive suddenly: burst out of the door. 4. To come apart or seem to come apart because of overwhelming emotion: thought his heart would burst with happiness. 5. To give sudden utterance or expression: burst out laughing; burst into tears. | | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To cause to burst: burst the balloon. See synonyms at break. 2. To exert strong pressure in order to force (something) open. 3. To separate (a continuous form or printout) into individual sheets. | | NOUN: | 1. A sudden outbreak or outburst; an explosion. 2. The result of bursting, especially the explosion of a projectile or bomb on impact or in the air. 3a. The number of bullets fired from an automatic weapon by one pull of the trigger. b. A volley of bullets fired from an automatic weapon: The machine gunner fired a quick burst. 4. An abrupt, intense increase; a rush: a burst of speed; fitful bursts of wind. 5. A period of intense activity: “I write in very short bursts—10 or 15 minutes” (Zoe Heller, Vanity Fair January 1994). | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English bursten, from Old English berstan.
| | |
| |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
|
|
