buster

noun

bust·​er ˈbə-stər 

1

a

chiefly Midland US : someone or something extraordinary

a buster of a breakfast

—Harriet B. Stowe

b

: an unusually sturdy child

c

often capitalized : fellow

—usually used as a form of address

hey buster, come here

2

chiefly Australia : a sudden violent wind often coming from the south

3

: one that breaks, breaks up, or eliminates something

crime busters

: such as

a

: plow

b

[short for broncobuster] : a person who breaks horses

4

: a bad fall

Examples of buster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Related Stories 2024 is shaping up to be another numbers buster. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019

Trump’s continuation of his 2017 cuts — including on corporate tax rates and capital gains — would be another budget buster. —James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2024

This is a type of explosive which produces little shrapnel but a powerful which ‘flows’ around corners in defensive earthworks; the U.S. developed a special AGM-114 Cave buster variant of the Hellfire for attacking Taliban tunnel complexes in Afghanistan. —David Hambling, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

But no one says your shampoo should be a budget buster, too. —Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing buster

• bunker buster
• clot-buster