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Definition of burst noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

burst

noun
 
/bɜːst/
 
/bɜːrst/
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  1. a short period of a particular activity or strong emotion that often starts suddenly
    • a sudden burst of activity/energy/laughter
    • in bursts I tend to work in bursts.
    • Her breath was coming in short bursts.
    • There was a spontaneous burst of applause.
    Extra Examples
    • an intense burst of anger
    • I had a sudden burst of energy and cleaned the house from top to bottom.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • short
    • sudden
    • quick
    preposition
    • in bursts
    • burst of
    See full entry
  2. an occasion when something bursts; the hole left where something has burst
    • a burst in a water pipe
  3. a short series of shots from a gun
    • frequent bursts of machine-gun fire
    • a rapid burst of gunfire
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • short
    • sudden
    • quick
    preposition
    • in bursts
    • burst of
    See full entry
  4. Word OriginOld English berstan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch bersten, barsten.
See burst in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee burst in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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