1
as in to explode
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure
the turnover's crust burst when the filling expanded
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2
as in to shatter
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
finally burst the piñata open with one mighty swing of the bat
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1
as in flurry
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity
a sudden burst of industriousness whenever the boss appeared
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2
as in explosion
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
a burst of anger that startled the other members on the panel
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3
as in eruption
the act or an instance of exploding
one burst after another could be heard in the distance
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of burst
Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2025
Frozen pipes can cause pipes to burst during extreme cold events.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 Jan. 2025
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2025
Boston is bracing for snow late this weekend as a burst of Arctic air drops temperatures into the teens.
—Rachel Dobkin, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for burst 
Verb
Hours later, Wootton’s family was eating dinner and watching the news when Reiner burst through the door, covered head to toe in thick, ashy soot.
—Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2025
Frozen pipes can cause pipes to burst during extreme cold events.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 Jan. 2025
Noun
For most of that time, the brightness has hovered around magnitude 10.2 with only minor variations of about half a magnitude resulting from bursts of accretion onto the star and volatile jets flowing away from the star.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2025
Boston is bracing for snow late this weekend as a burst of Arctic air drops temperatures into the teens.
—Rachel Dobkin, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for burst
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burst
Verb
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The Heat never looked back, exploding for 46 points in the third quarter to take a 24-point lead into the fourth quarter.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
20 Jan. 2025
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Meanwhile, Trump's net worth was about to explode from an asset that, up to that point, didn't exist.—
MacKenzie Sigalos,
CNBC,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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For the most social of butterflies, this fall’s Italy, France, and Ibiza cruise is set to shatter records for the largest gay cruise to set sail across Europe, uniting more than 4,000 passengers on the massive Odyssey of the Seas.—
Jared Ranahan,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Jan. 2025
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Some areas in the Panhandle recorded over half a foot of snow, shattering long-standing snow records, CBS Miami reported.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Over the last three games alone, the free-throw disparity has bulged to 42 attempts and 33 makes.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2025
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According to reports, The Dallas Mavericks (20-15) will be without guard Kyrie Irving for one to two weeks as the star point guard recovers from a bulging disk in his back.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Lawmakers from both parties respond to the president’s flurry of executive orders.—
The Editors,
The Atlantic,
25 Jan. 2025
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Among the flurry of executive orders since his Jan. 20 inauguration, President Donald Trump has taken aim at rooting out diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs within the federal government.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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While the fiery explosion is enough to make Emily and Matt believe that Chuck is dead, her ex-boyfriend and fellow agent Baron (Scott) believes otherwise.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
22 Jan. 2025
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That 17-point explosion in the fourth quarter was the on-court highlight.—
William Guillory,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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One possible scenario is an eruption outside of the volcano's caldera—the circular depression that forms a crater at a volcanic summit—as happened in the 2014 eruption.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
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Plus, scientists are still studying the effects of events like the January 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption, which introduced vast quantities of water vapor and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere.—
Stefanie Waldek,
Space.com,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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An incendiary device was detonated, destroying ballots about a week before Election Day.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
21 Jan. 2025
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Their actual plan was to detonate a bomb on the stairs that Dr. Nichols and Hank were secretly carrying on a fake medical stretcher.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Perhaps the elder Buffett has softened his opinion on dividends as Berkshire’s cash pile continued to smash records.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
19 Jan. 2025
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Instead, Villain tried to smash her face into the food.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN,
18 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near burst
Cite this Entry
“Burst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burst. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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