burst

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/bɜːrst/
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Sudden breaking open by pressure, sudden energetic movement or emotion, and short intense releases of sound, light, activity, or force.
Practice using burst in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • The crowd burst into angry shouts.
  • The pressure made the tank burst.
  • She burst into the room without knocking.
  • The room burst into cheers.
  • A blood vessel burst behind his eye.

Similar words

bulge
eruption
ruptured
emerge
crack
erupt
blown
rupture
surge
cracked

Meanings

Break open suddenly

verb
physical
neutral
To break open, split, or fly apart suddenly, often because pressure has built up inside.

Usage

Use burst when something breaks open quickly and forcefully, especially from internal pressure.

Examples

  • The balloon burst when it touched the nail.
  • A water main burst under the street.
  • The tire burst on the motorway.
  • The seed pod bursts when it dries.
  • The pressure made the tank burst.
  • The dam burst after days of heavy rain.
  • A blood vessel burst behind his eye.

Common mistakes

The regular past form bursted is usually wrong for this verb.
IncorrectCorrect
The balloon bursted in my hand. The balloon burst in my hand.
The pipe was burst by cold weather. The pipe burst in cold weather.
He burst his ankle during the race. He broke his ankle during the race.

Similar words

rupture
split
break
explode
pop
shatter
crack

Move or appear suddenly

verb
movement
neutral
To come, go, or appear with sudden force, speed, or energy.

Usage

Use burst with prepositions such as into, out of, through, and onto for sudden energetic movement or appearance.

Examples

  • She burst into the room without knocking.
  • Sunlight burst through the clouds.
  • The runners burst from the starting line.
  • He burst out of the lift and ran down the hall.
  • The band burst onto the stage.
  • Flames burst from the windows.
  • The story burst into the news overnight.

Common mistakes

The preposition after burst often carries the movement, so a missing or wrong one changes the sense.
IncorrectCorrect
She burst the room. She burst into the room.
The sun burst from the clouds. The sun burst through the clouds.
He burst to the office at nine. He rushed to the office at nine.

Similar words

rush
charge
erupt
springsurge
emerge
explode

Begin suddenly from emotion

verb
emotion
neutral
To start crying, laughing, singing, speaking, or applauding suddenly because feeling can no longer be held back.

Usage

Use burst in phrases such as burst into tears and burst out laughing for sudden emotional release.

Examples

  • She burst into tears after the call.
  • The children burst out laughing.
  • The audience burst into applause.
  • He burst into song on the walk home.
  • The room burst into cheers.
  • I nearly burst out laughing in the meeting.
  • The crowd burst into angry shouts.

Common mistakes

The pattern is usually burst into a noun or burst out with an -ing form.
IncorrectCorrect
She burst to tears. She burst into tears.
They burst laughing. They burst out laughing.
The audience burst to applause. The audience burst into applause.

Similar words

erupt
explode
break out
start
cry out
shout
cheer

Be extremely full

verb
everyday
neutral
To be so full of something, such as food, feeling, energy, or information, that it seems close to overflowing.

Usage

Use burst with with or to in figurative phrases such as bursting with pride or bursting to tell someone.

Examples

  • She was bursting with pride.
  • I am bursting to tell you the news.
  • The suitcase was bursting at the seams.
  • The market was bursting with fresh fruit.
  • He felt as if he would burst after dinner.
  • The file is bursting with useful data.
  • Her diary was bursting with plans.

Common mistakes

This figurative sense normally takes with for what fills someone or to before an urgent action.
IncorrectCorrect
She was bursting of pride. She was bursting with pride.
I am bursting telling you the news. I am bursting to tell you the news.
The bag burst with groceries. The bag was bursting with groceries.

Similar words

overflow
brim
bulge
teem
swell
abound
overflow with

Short sudden release

noun
event
neutral
A short, sudden period or release of energy, sound, light, activity, or feeling.

Usage

Use burst as a noun for a brief intense occurrence, often in phrases such as a burst of speed or a burst of laughter.

Examples

  • A burst of laughter came from the kitchen.
  • The runner found a final burst of speed.
  • A sudden burst of rain soaked the crowd.
  • The screen flashed with a burst of color.
  • The radio crackled with a burst of static.
  • The soldiers heard a short burst of gunfire.
  • She worked in quick bursts of concentration.

Common mistakes

The noun usually names a short intense occurrence, not a long steady state.
IncorrectCorrect
A burst of rain lasted all month. A spell of rain lasted all month.
He spoke in a burst for three hours. He spoke in a stream for three hours.
The candle gave a burst of darkness. The candle gave a burst of light.

Similar words

outburst
eruption
flare
surge
spurt
flash
blast

Rupture or broken place

noun
physical
neutral
A rupture, split, or damaged place where something has broken open.

Usage

Use burst for the break itself or the damaged place, especially in pipes, tires, and other pressure-bearing things.

Examples

  • The engineer found the burst in the old pipe.
  • A burst in the hose sprayed water over the lawn.
  • The tyre had a small burst near the rim.
  • They traced the flood to a burst in the main line.
  • The pressure test revealed a hidden burst.
  • A burst in the tank wall forced an evacuation.
  • The crew marked the burst before replacing the section.

Common mistakes

The noun can name the break, but repairs usually target the leak, pipe, tire, or damaged part.
IncorrectCorrect
The plumber fixed the burst in the kitchen. The plumber fixed the burst pipe in the kitchen.
A burst of the tire stopped the car. A burst tire stopped the car.
The burst was walking across the wall. The crack was spreading across the wall.

Similar words

rupture
split
break
crack
tear
breach
fracture

Broken open by pressure

adjective
physical
neutral
Broken open, split, or torn by sudden pressure or force.

Usage

Use burst before nouns such as pipe, tire, seam, or balloon when the thing has split open suddenly.

Examples

  • A burst pipe flooded the basement.
  • The mechanic replaced the burst tire.
  • The burst balloon lay under the table.
  • A burst seam opened along the bag.
  • The doctor treated a burst blood vessel.
  • The crew removed the burst hose.
  • Water poured from the burst main.

Common mistakes

Burst describes rupture from pressure, so ordinary damage often needs broken, torn, or cracked instead.
IncorrectCorrect
The burst window let in the rain. The broken window let in the rain.
She wore a burst dress. She wore a torn dress.
The burst plate was on the floor. The broken plate was on the floor.

Similar words

ruptured
split
broken
torn
cracked
blown
damaged

Usage

Use burst for suddenness and force, whether something physically breaks open, someone rushes into view, emotion breaks out, or a brief intense event happens.

Common mistakes

Bursted is usually wrong for the past tense, and patterns such as burst into tears, burst out laughing, and bursting with pride need their set prepositions.

Etymology

From Old English berstan, later Middle English bersten, meaning to break suddenly. The same root also gave forms for cracking or splitting in several Germanic languages.

FAQ

What does burst mean?

Burst means to break open suddenly, move or appear with force, release emotion at once, or happen in a short intense period.

What is the past tense of burst?

The usual past tense and past participle are both burst, as in the pipe burst yesterday and the balloon has burst.

Is bursted ever correct?

Bursted appears in some informal or dialect use, but standard English normally uses burst for the past tense.

What does burst into tears mean?

Burst into tears means to start crying suddenly because emotion can no longer be held back.

What does burst out laughing mean?

Burst out laughing means to begin laughing suddenly and strongly.

What is a burst as a noun?

A burst is a short sudden release or event, such as a burst of speed, laughter, rain, color, static, or gunfire.

Can burst be an adjective?

Yes. A burst pipe, tire, seam, or balloon has split open suddenly, usually because of pressure.

What is the difference between burst and explode?

Explode stresses a violent blast. Burst can mean that, but it also covers splitting open, rushing in, or sudden emotional release.

What are common synonyms of burst?

Common synonyms include rupture, split, explode, pop, erupt, surge, outburst, and flare.

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