From Middle English bresten, bersten, from Old English berstan, from Proto-West Germanic *brestan, from Proto-Germanic *brestaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰres- (“to burst, break, crack, split, separate”), enlargement of *bʰreHi- (“to snip, split”).
See also West Frisian boarste, Dutch barsten, Danish briste, Swedish brista; also Irish bris (“to break”)). More at brine. Also cognate to debris.
Meanings
An act or instance of bursting.
The bursts of the bombs could be heard miles away.
A sudden, often intense, expression, manifestation or display.
I read it in two bursts.
It was tragic, all right, but George and Hazel couldn't think about it very hard. Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts. 1961, Kurt Vonnegut, Harrison Bergeron, page 1:
"It's my wedding-day," cried Biddy, in a burst of happiness, "and I am married to Joe!" 1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, Great Expectations […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC:
[…] and only at Barnet did Tappin give Empire of India a burst to bring us up to the 60 m.p.h. speed ceiling of the London area. 1956 December 14, W. J. Alcock, “On the Footplate of the "Elizabethan"”, in Railway Magazine, page 821:
A series of shots fired from an automatic firearm.
osx brestan (instance or act of bursting) · sv omgång (instance or act of bursting) · nl salvo (series of shots fired from an automatic firearm) · es reventón (instance or act of bursting) · cs prasknutí (instance or act of bursting) · it esplosione (instance or act of bursting) · gl estoupido (instance or act of bursting) · nds-de Barsten (instance or act of bursting) · id letusan (instance or act of bursting) · de Platzen (instance or act of bursting) · it scoppio (instance or act of bursting) · pl rozerwanie (instance or act of bursting) · nl uitbarsting (instance or act of bursting) · pl pęknięcie (instance or act of bursting) · gl estouro (instance or act of bursting) · el έκρηξη (instance or act of bursting) · es estallido (instance or act of bursting) · ga rois (instance or act of bursting) · bg избухване (instance or act of bursting) · ru очередь (series of shots fired from an automatic firearm) · fi räjähdys (instance or act of bursting) · sv skur (instance or act of bursting) · bg взрив (instance or act of bursting) · de Zerbrechen (instance or act of bursting) · gl estourido (instance or act of bursting) · es ráfaga (instance or act of bursting) · cmn 破裂 (instance or act of bursting) · nds-de Tweibreken (instance or act of bursting) · nds-de Tobreken (instance or act of bursting) · fi puhkeaminen (instance or act of bursting) · pl wybuch (instance or act of bursting) · hy պոռթկում (instance or act of bursting) · io erupto (instance or act of bursting) · fr éclatement (instance or act of bursting) · cmn 爆裂 (instance or act of bursting) · el ριπή (instance or act of bursting) · nds-de Barsten (instance or act of bursting) · pl eksplozja (instance or act of bursting) · gl estoiro (instance or act of bursting) · ru взрыв (instance or act of bursting) · sv salva (instance or act of bursting) · hy պայթյուն (instance or act of bursting) · ru разры́в (instance or act of bursting) · pt estouro (instance or act of bursting) · id letupan (instance or act of bursting) · de Bersten (instance or act of bursting) · es explosión (instance or act of bursting) · nl ontploffing (instance or act of bursting) · ru ло́пание (instance or act of bursting) · es estallo (instance or act of bursting) · gl estoupo (instance or act of bursting) · fr explosion (instance or act of bursting) · pt explosão (instance or act of bursting)
From Middle English bresten, bersten, from Old English berstan, from Proto-West Germanic *brestan, from Proto-Germanic *brestaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰres- (“to burst, break, crack, split, separate”), enlargement of *bʰreHi- (“to snip, split”).
See also West Frisian boarste, Dutch barsten, Danish briste, Swedish brista; also Irish bris (“to break”)). More at brine. Also cognate to debris.
Meanings
(intransitive) To break from internal pressure.
I blew the balloon up too much, and it burst.
(transitive) To cause to break from internal pressure.
I burst the balloon when I blew it up too much.
(obsolete, transitive) To cause to break by any means.
He burst his lance against the sand below. 1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC:
You will not pay for the glasses you have burst? c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act INDUCTION, scene i]:
(transitive) To separate (printer paper) at perforation lines.
I printed the report on form-feed paper, then burst the sheets.
(intransitive) To enter or exit hurriedly and unexpectedly.
1913, Mariano Azuela, The Underdogs, translated by E. MunguÍa, Jr.
Like hungry dogs who have sniffed their meat, the mob bursts in, trampling down the women who sought to bar the entrance with their bodies.
(intransitive) To erupt; to change state suddenly as if bursting.
The flowers burst into bloom on the first day of spring.
‘[…] I remember a lady coming to inspect St. Mary's Home where I was brought up and seeing us all in our lovely Elizabethan uniforms we were so proud of, and bursting into tears all over us because “it was wicked to dress us like charity children”. […]’. 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 6, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
(transitive) To produce as an effect of bursting.
1856, Eleanor Marx-Aveling (translator), Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Part III Chapter X
He entered Maromme shouting for the people of the inn, burst open the door with a thrust of his shoulder, made for a sack of oats, emptied a bottle of sweet cider into the manger, and again mounted his nag, whose feet struck fire as it dashed along.
to burst a hole through the wall
(transitive) To interrupt suddenly in a violent or explosive manner; to shatter.
The sharp report of a gun burst the silence, and a moment later the gate swung open. 2001, Jeanette Windle, Cave of the Inca Re, page 115:
(intransitive) Of neurons: to exhibit an activation pattern where periods of rapid action potential spiking are followed by quiescent periods much longer than typical interspike intervals.
fi räjäyttää (to cause to burst) · cy ffrwydro (to break from internal pressure) · ky жарылуу (to break from internal pressure) · ky чалп эткен дабуу (to break from internal pressure) · fi räjähtää (to break from internal pressure) · ca esclatar (to cause to burst) · hu kipukkad (to break from internal pressure) · hu fakad (to erupt; to change state suddenly as if bursting) · id meletus (to cause to burst) · sw kukata (to cause to burst) · oc espetar (to break from internal pressure) · ru ло́паться (to break from internal pressure) · hu szétpukkan (to break from internal pressure) · eo krevi (to break from internal pressure) · it far scoppiare (to cause to burst) · fi puhkaista (to cause to burst) · hy պայթել (to break from internal pressure) · fi puhjeta (to break from internal pressure) · fr éclater (to break from internal pressure) · es reventar (to break from internal pressure) · enm bresten (to cause to burst) · got 𐌳𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (to break from internal pressure) · mi papā (to break from internal pressure) · ja 破裂する (to break from internal pressure) · fr faire éclater (to cause to burst) · ca rebentar (to break from internal pressure) · sa स्फलति (to break from internal pressure) · mi ngaora (to erupt; to change state suddenly as if bursting) · grc λάσκω (to break from internal pressure) · hu hirtelenkezd (el) (to erupt; to change state suddenly as if bursting) · de sprengen (to cause to burst) · fr rompre (to cause to burst) · ga pléasc (to cause to burst) · el εκρήγνυμαι (to break from internal pressure) · id meletup (to break from internal pressure) · mi ngaora (to break from internal pressure) · mi ngawhewhe (to break from internal pressure) · ru тре́снуть (to break from internal pressure) · es reventar (to cause to burst) · ms pecah (to break from internal pressure) · vi làm bể (to cause to burst) · hu szétpukkaszt (to cause to burst) · de zerplatzen (to break from internal pressure) · ru ло́пать (to cause to burst) · tr patlatmak (to cause to burst) · enm bresten (to erupt; to change state suddenly as if bursting) · pdt tweirieten (to cause to burst) · it scoppiare (to break from internal pressure) · sq plas (to break from internal pressure) · enm bresten (to break from internal pressure) · vi bể (to cause to burst) · it esplodere (to break from internal pressure) · cho bokafa (to break from internal pressure) · ky бөлүү (to break from internal pressure) · te పగలగొట్టు (to cause to burst) · ru разорва́ть (to cause to burst) · th ระเบิด (to break from internal pressure) · id meletus (to break from internal pressure) · pt arrebentar (to break from internal pressure) · ru ло́пнуть (to break from internal pressure) · sv spricka (to break from internal pressure) · dlm crepur (to break from internal pressure) · az partlamaq (to break from internal pressure) · ms meletup (to break from internal pressure) · nl doen barsten (to cause to burst) · hy պոռթկալ (to break from internal pressure) · nds-de barsten (to break from internal pressure) · pl rozsadzać (to break from internal pressure) · el σκάω (to cause to burst) · mn тэсрэх (to break from internal pressure) · km ផ្ទុះ (to break from internal pressure) · gl estourar (to break from internal pressure) · it separare (to cause to burst) · pl pęknąć (to break from internal pressure) · fi haljeta (to break from internal pressure) · id meletup (to cause to burst) · el σκάω (to break from internal pressure) · ca petar (to break from internal pressure) · mi kowhera (to break from internal pressure) · grc διασπάω (to cause to burst) · hu kidurran (to break from internal pressure) · sq përplasje (to cause to burst) · ky дүрт этүү (to break from internal pressure) · de bersten (to break from internal pressure) · cmn 破裂 (to break from internal pressure) · gl esbochar (to break from internal pressure) · ru ло́пнуть (to cause to burst) · ms meletus (to break from internal pressure) · ko 파열하다 (to break from internal pressure) · bg пръсвам се (to break from internal pressure) · te చితుకు (to break from internal pressure) · mi ngawhā (to break from internal pressure) · hu borul (to erupt; to change state suddenly as if bursting) · eu lehertu (to break from internal pressure) · ky бөлүнүп кетүү (to break from internal pressure) · bg взривявам (to cause to burst) · pt estourar (to cause to burst) · vi bị bể (to break from internal pressure) · az partlatmaq (to cause to burst) · mi kōwhā (to break from internal pressure) · mi pahū (to break from internal pressure) · he התפוצץ (to break from internal pressure) · ca esclatar (to break from internal pressure) · cy byrstio (to break from internal pressure) · oc esclatar (to break from internal pressure) · fi halkaista (to cause to burst) · fr briser (to cause to burst) · th แตก (to break from internal pressure) · ru разорва́ться (to break from internal pressure) · hu szétpukkad (to break from internal pressure) · sv brista (to break from internal pressure) · hi फूटना (to break from internal pressure) · it strappare (to cause to burst) · vo kräkön (to break from internal pressure) · cdo 爆 (to break from internal pressure) · tr patlamak (to break from internal pressure) · mi tawhā (to break from internal pressure) · hu kipukkaszt (to cause to burst) · ru разрыва́ться (to break from internal pressure) · sv spräcka (to cause to burst) · te పగిలిపోవు (to break from internal pressure) · nl barsten (to break from internal pressure) · ru тре́скаться (to break from internal pressure) · ru разрыва́ть (to cause to burst) · cmn 爆裂 (to break from internal pressure) · pl pękać (to break from internal pressure) · arz انفزر (to break from internal pressure) · yue 爆 (to break from internal pressure) · gsw versprütze (to break from internal pressure) · mi pohū (to break from internal pressure) · cy byrstio (to cause to burst) · sv brisera (to break from internal pressure) · es romper (to cause to burst) · gl estoupar (to break from internal pressure) · gl rebentar (to break from internal pressure) · ky башталып кетүү (to break from internal pressure) · ca esquerdar (to cause to burst) · ky чулп эткен дабуу (to break from internal pressure) · hu kidurrant (to cause to burst) · nds-de doon barsten (to cause to burst) · pt estourar (to break from internal pressure) · de platzen (to break from internal pressure) · frr baast (to break from internal pressure) · tl putok (to break from internal pressure) · hu szétdurran (to break from internal pressure) · la dīrumpō (to cause to burst) · ga pléasc (to break from internal pressure) · cs prasknout (to break from internal pressure) · hu kitör (to erupt; to change state suddenly as if bursting) · bg пръсвам (to cause to burst) · cy ffrwydro (to cause to burst)