n. 1
An act or instance of bursting.
The bursts of the bombs could be heard miles away.
n. 2
A sudden, often intense, expression, manifestation or display.
v. 1
To break from internal pressure.
I blew the balloon up too much, and it burst.
v. 2
To cause to break from internal pressure.
I burst the balloon when I blew it up too much.

Related words

Word family: burster
Phrases: burst out burst forth burst into tears burst noise burst someone's bubble on the burst

Forms

Plural: bursts → outbursts, gushes, blazes, gusts…

Choose the right word

Burst or Break?

To burst is to break by pressure from within, as a bombshell, but it is used also for the result of violent force otherwise exerted; as, to burst in a door, where the door yields as if to an explosion.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

blaze It took an hour and a half to control the blaze.
outburst She always has an emotional outburst when arguing.
gust A sudden gust of wind collapsed the house of cards.
gush Uri Avnery founded the Gush Shalom movement in 1993.
volley The enemy fired a volley of shots at us.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
burst		rising
blaze		rising
outburst		rising
gust		rising
gush		rising
volley		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: fit¹, pop¹, fly¹
4 letters: rush¹, bust¹, clap¹, gust¹, gush¹
5 letters: break¹, split¹, crack¹, blast¹, sally², blaze¹, erupt², salvo², spurt¹
6 letters: breach¹, abound², volley², bustle², blowup²
7 letters: explode², rupture², blowout², shatter², bristle²
8 letters: collapse², fracture², outburst², breakage²
9 letters: explosion³, discharge², fusillade³

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (sally² = 2 syllables).