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Added 9 October 2026

burst

/bɜːst/ noun

In Latin: dīrumpō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about burst at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The act of exploding or bursting.
the explosion of the firecrackers awoke the children
Rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms.
our fusillade from the left flank caught them by surprise
A sudden flurry of activity (often for no obvious reason).
a burst of applause

verb

Come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure.
The bubble burst
Force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up.
break into tears
Burst outward, usually with noise.
The champagne bottle exploded

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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