Burst Bursting Felt Open I Shells Suddenly Full

• that balloon will burst if you blow it up any more.
• the dam burst under the weight of water.
• shells were bursting (= exploding) all around us.
• he felt he would burst with anger and shame.

burst

1. to break open or apart, especially because of pressure from inside; to make something break in this way
• That balloon will burst if you blow it up any more.
• The dam burst under the weight of water.
• Shells were bursting (= exploding) all around us.
• He felt he would burst with anger and shame.
• a burst pipe
• Don't burst that balloon!
• The river burst its banks and flooded nearby towns.
• The jet smashed into a hillside and exploded.
• The bomb was exploded under controlled conditions.
• A police officer was killed when his car blew up.
• The bomb went off in a crowded street.
• That balloon’s going to burst.
• Two other bombs failed to detonate.
2. to go or move somewhere suddenly with great force; to come from somewhere suddenly
• He burst into the room without knocking.
• The sun burst through the clouds.
• The words burst from her in an angry rush.
3. to be very full of something; to be very full and almost breaking open
• The roads are bursting with cars.
• to be bursting with ideas/enthusiasm/pride
• The hall was filled to bursting point.
• The hall was full to bursting.
• I’m bursting (for a pee)! (= I need to use the toilet right now).
4. to be very full, especially of people
5. to want to do something so much that you can hardly stop yourself
• She was bursting to tell him the good news.
6. there is a sudden end to a good or lucky situation
• When the bubble finally burst, hundreds of people lost their jobs.
• The optimistic bubble has now burst and economists agree the recession will continue.
7. to bring an end to somebody’s hopes, happiness, etc.
• He seemed so happy, I couldn’t burst his bubble so soon.
8. to open suddenly or violently; to make something open in this way
• The door burst open.
• Firefighters burst the door open and rescued them.

Extra Examples

• He felt he would burst with anger.
• He was just about to burst into song.
• I felt as though my heart would burst out of my chest.
• My whole head felt like a ripe tomato, ready to burst.
• My whole head felt ready to burst.
• She took one look at the mess and promptly burst into tears.
• The ship was burst apart and its crew blasted to pieces.
• There was a danger that the engine would burst apart.
• Don’t burst that balloon!
• He burst a blood vessel during a fit of coughing.
• She felt she would burst with shame and anger.
• Shells were bursting all around us.

Verb Forms

• present simple I / you / we / they burst
• he / she / it bursts
• past simple burst
• past participle burst
• -ing form bursting

Word Origin

• Old English berstan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch bersten, barsten.