Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Burst"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Burst \Burst\, n.
1. A sudden breaking forth; a violent rending; an explosion;
as, a burst of thunder; a burst of applause; a burst of
passion; a burst of inspiration.
Bursts of fox-hunting melody. --W. Irving.
2. Any brief, violent exertion or effort; a spurt; as, a
burst of speed.
3. A sudden opening, as of landscape; a stretch; an expanse.
[R.] ``A fine burst of country.'' --Jane Austen.
4. A rupture or hernia; a breach.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Burst \Burst\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Burst}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Bursting}. The past participle bursten is obsolete.] [OE.
bersten, bresten, AS. berstan (pers. sing. berste, imp. sing.
b[ae]rst, imp. pl. burston, p. p. borsten); akin to D.
bersten, G. bersten, OHG. brestan, OS. brestan, Icel. bresta,
Sw. brista, Dan. briste. Cf. {Brast}, {Break}.]
1. To fly apart or in pieces; of break open; to yield to
force or pressure, especially to a sudden and violent
exertion of force, or to pressure from within; to explode;
as, the boiler had burst; the buds will burst in spring.
From the egg that soon Bursting with kindly rupture,
forth disclosed Their callow young. --Milton.
Note: Often used figuratively, as of the heart, in reference
to a surcharge of passion, grief, desire, etc.
No, no, my heart will burst, an if I speak: And I
will speak, that so my heart may burst. --Shak.
2. To exert force or pressure by which something is made
suddenly to give way; to break through obstacles or
limitations; hence, to appear suddenly and unexpectedly or
unaccountably, or to depart in such manner; -- usually
with some qualifying adverb or preposition, as forth, out,
away, into, upon, through, etc.
Tears, such as angels weep, burst forth. --Milton.
And now you burst (ah cruel!) from my arms. --Pope.
A resolved villain Whose bowels suddenly burst out.
--Shak.
We were the first that ever burst Into that silent
sea. --Coleridge.
To burst upon him like an earthquake. --Goldsmith.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Burst \Burst\ (b[^u]rst), v. t.
1. To break or rend by violence, as by an overcharge or by
strain or pressure, esp. from within; to force open
suddenly; as, to burst a cannon; to burst a blood vessel;
to burst open the doors.
My breast I'll burst with straining of my courage.
--Shak.
2. To break. [Obs.]
You will not pay for the glasses you have burst?
--Shak.
He burst his lance against the sand below. --Fairfax
(Tasso).
3. To produce as an effect of bursting; as, to burst a hole
through the wall.
{Bursting charge}. See under {Charge}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
burst
adj : suddenly and violently broken open especially from internal
pressure; "a burst balloon"; "burst pipes"; "burst
seams"; "a ruptured appendix"; (`busted' is an informal
term for `burst' as in "a busted balloon") [syn: {ruptured},
{busted}]
n 1: the act of exploding or bursting something; "the explosion
of the firecrackers awoke the children"; "the burst of
an atom bomb creates enormous radiation aloft" [syn: {explosion}]
2: rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms; "our fusillade
from the left flank caught them by surprise" [syn: {fusillade},
{salvo}, {volley}]
3: a sudden flurry of activity (often for no obvious reason);
"a burst of applause"; "a fit of housecleaning" [syn: {fit}]
4: a sudden violent happening; "an outburst of heavy rain"; "a
burst of lightning" [syn: {outburst}, {flare-up}]
v 1: break open or apart suddenly; "The bubble burst" [syn: {split},
{break open}]
2: force out or release suddenly and often violently something
pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger" [syn: {break},
{erupt}]
3: burst outward, usually with noise; "The champagne bottle
exploded" [syn: {explode}] [ant: {implode}]
4: move suddenly, energetically, or violently; "He burst out of
the house into the cool night"
5: be in a state of movement or action; "The room abounded with
screaming children"; "The garden bristled with toddlers"
[syn: {abound}, {bristle}]
6: emerge suddenly; "The sun burst into view"
7: cause to burst; "The ice broke the pipe" [syn: {collapse}]
8: break open or apart suddenly and forcefully; "The dam burst"
[syn: {bust}]
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