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burst
burst / bərst/ • v. (past and past part. burst ) [intr.] (of a container) break suddenly and violently apart, spilling the contents, typically as a result of an impact or internal pressure: we inflated dozens of balloons and only one burst. ∎ [tr.] cause to break, esp. by puncturing: he burst the balloon in my face. ∎ [tr.] (of contents) break open (a container) from the inside by growing too large to be held: the swollen river was expected to burst its banks. ∎ [tr.] suffer from the sudden breaking of (a bodily organ or vessel): he burst a blood vessel during a fit of coughing. ∎ be so full as almost to break open: the drawers were bursting with clothes. ∎ feel a very strong or irrepressible emotion or impulse: he was bursting with joy and excitement she was bursting to say something. ∎ suddenly begin doing something as an expression of a strong feeling: if anyone said anything to upset me, I'd burst out crying. ∎ issue suddenly and uncontrollably, as though from a splitting container: an aircraft crashed and burst into flames. ∎ be opened suddenly and forcibly: a door burst open and a girl raced out. • n. an instance of breaking or splitting as a result of internal pressure or puncturing; an explosion. ∎ a sudden issuing forth: her breath was coming in short bursts. ∎ a sudden outbreak, typically short and often violent or noisy: a sudden burst of activity. ∎ a short, sudden, and intense effort: he sailed 474 miles in one 24-hour burst. PHRASES: burst someone's bubble shatter someone's illusions about something or destroy someone's sense of well-being. |
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Cite this article
"burst." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "burst." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-burst.html "burst." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-burst.html |
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burst
burst A period of sudden intense emission, usually of X-rays or gamma rays, having a rapid rise and decay. Observed burst durations can be as short as a few hundredths of a second. The source of the emission is known as a burster. See also Gamma-ray Burst; X-ray Burst.
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Cite this article
"burst." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "burst." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-burst.html "burst." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-burst.html |
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burst
burst (tr. and intr.) OE. str. vb. berstan = OS., OHG. brestan. ON. bresta :- Gmc. *brestan; IE. *bhrest- is repr. also in OIr. brissim I break, Gael. bris. The form burst for all parts prevailed by the end of XVI.
Hence burst sb. XVII. |
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "burst." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "burst." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-burst.html T. F. HOAD. "burst." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-burst.html |
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Burst
Bursta vehement outburst. Examples: burst of applause; of gratitude, 1775; of ill humour, 1838; of laughter, 1838; of merriment, 1751; of passion; of sunlight, 1854; of thunder, 1671. |
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Cite this article
"Burst." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Burst." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505300192.html "Burst." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505300192.html |
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burst
burst
•accursed, burst, curst, erst, first, headfirst, Hurst, thirst, under-rehearsed, unrehearsed, unversed, verst, worst, wurst
•starburst • airburst • cloudburst
•outburst • sunburst • Sandhurst
•Pankhurst • Bathurst • knackwurst
•bratwurst
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Cite this article
"burst." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "burst." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-burst.html "burst." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-burst.html |
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