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bust out

(transitive, informal, North America) To free from captivity.

ˈbʌst ˈaʊtCurrent145 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🎤 Black culture & AAVE
3 definitions
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Seen in the wild
5 citations · last seen May 2026

Seen in the wild

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US
#1·Apr 26, 2026US

(transitive, informal, North America) To free from captivity.

The signs are everywhere: there are bells and tinsel on street lamps, shoppers on the sidewalks and Santas busting out all over.
Cluster: general
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US
#2·Apr 26, 2026US

(intransitive, US, informal) To reveal, to show; to appear.

See it in action
  • “best part of this vid is how hard she tryin not to bust out laughin & ruin the take”

They decided it was time to bust out the good hooch.
Heard in the wild
  • “I’m probably gonna bust out the 20 Mountain special. It’s nothing to write home about, but Fireblast and friends get the job done.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “It even has the tombstone 😭 I’ll have to bust out some budget surprise to get there. Luckily eternal weekend isn’t far from where I live.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “You know it's a fun day when you have to bust out procmon, setup a 500mb rotating log capture, and tell the user to stop it and call you when The Thing happens.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “have to bust out some Sonic porn reposts to keep the rent low”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “best part of this vid is how hard she tryin not to bust out laughin & ruin the take”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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US
#3·Apr 26, 2026US

(intransitive, informal, North America) To escape (from); break out.

They tried to bust the prisoner out, but were thwarted by the police.
For parents

Bust out means: To escape (from); break out.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up. For most families this word will pass by without incident; it is more a vocabulary curiosity than a parenting concern.

For ESL learners

bust out means: To escape (from); break out.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.

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Slang from Black American Vernacular English (AAVE), hip-hop, drag and ballroom culture, the Caribbean, and NYC street vocabulary. The single largest source of new mainstream English slang in living memory.

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