v. t. To arrest, for committing a crime; -- often used in the passive; as, the whole gang got busted. [ informal ] [ PJC ]

v. i. 1. To break or burst. [ informal ] [ PJC ]

2. (Card Playing) In blackjack, to draw a card that causes one's total to exceed twenty-one. [ PJC ]

3. To go bankrupt. [ PJC ]

to go bust to go bankrupt.
or bust or collapse from the effort; -- used in phrases expressing determination to do something; as, Oregon or bust, meaning “We will get to Oregon or die trying.” [ PJC ]

n. [ F. buste, fr. It. busto; cf. LL. busta, bustula, box, of the same origin as E. box a case; cf., for the change of meaning, E. chest. See Bushel. ] 1. A piece of sculpture representing the upper part of the human figure, including the head, shoulders, and breast. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ambition sighed: she found it vain to trust
The faithless column, and the crumbling bust. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The portion of the human figure included between the head and waist, whether in statuary or in the person; the chest or thorax; the upper part of the trunk of the body. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Especially: A woman's bosom{ 2 }. [ PJC ]

n. [ OF. & Prov. F. bistarde, F. outarde, from L. avis tarda, lit., slow bird. Plin. 10, 22; “proximæ iis sunt, quas Hispania aves tardas appellat, Græcia 'wti`das.” ] (Zool.) A bird of the genus Otis. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The great or bearded bustard (Otis tarda) is the largest game bird in Europe. It inhabits the temperate regions of Europe and Asia, and was formerly common in Great Britain. The little bustard (Otis tetrax) inhabits eastern Europe and Morocco. Many other species are known in Asia and Africa. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. Inoperable due to damage; broken; -- of a machine; as, the coke machine is busted. [ informal ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. Arrested for committing a crime; -- of a person; as, the rock star was busted for coke possession.. [ informal ] [ PJC ]

3. [ predicate ] same as demoted; -- said especially of military rank, and often folowed by to; as, he was busted to corporal for being AWOL. [ PJC ]

4. [ predicate ] same as exhausted; -- of people. [ PJC ]

n. Something huge; a roistering blade; also, a spree. [ Slang, U.S. ] Bartlett. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Great stir; agitation; tumult from stirring or excitement. [ 1913 Webster ]

A strange bustle and disturbance in the world. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Bustled (-s'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Bustling (-sl&ibreve_;ng). ] [ Cf. OE. buskle, perh. fr. AS. bysig busy, bysg-ian to busy + the verbal termination -le; or Icel. bustla to splash, bustle. ] To move noisily; to be rudely active; to move in a way to cause agitation or disturbance; as, to bustle through a crowd. [ 1913 Webster ]

And leave the world for me to bustle in. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A kind of pad or cushion worn on the back below the waist, by women, to give fullness to the skirts; -- called also bishop, and tournure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An active, stirring person. [ 1913 Webster ]