bust off
C1 informal separable both
In simple words
To break a piece off something, or to leave a place suddenly.
Literal meaning: To bust (break) something off (away from the main body).
Meanings
1 C1 informal
To break or snap a piece away from something by force.
"He busted off a chunk of chocolate and handed it to his little sister."
Grammar: separable
2 C1
idiomatic
slang
(US slang) To leave a place suddenly or quickly.
"It was getting late so we decided to bust off before the traffic got bad."
Usage notes
The physical sense (breaking a piece off) is the more literal use. The sense of leaving quickly ('bust off out of here') is American slang and very informal. Both senses are relatively low-frequency.
Commonly used with
piece handle chunk corner move place
Forms
Base
bust off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
busts off
he/she/it
Past simple
busted off
yesterday
Past participle
busted off
have + pp
-ing form
busting off
continuous
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Synonyms
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