BURSTING Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

bursting 1 of 3

adjective

as in filled

containing or seeming to contain the greatest quantity or number possible the store was bursting with bargain hunters on the day of the big sale

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bursting

2 of 3

noun

as in eruption

the act or an instance of exploding narrowly escaped the bursting of the car's gas tank

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bursting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of burst

as in exploding

to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure the turnover's crust burst when the filling expanded

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as in shattering

to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive finally burst the piñata open with one mighty swing of the bat

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in buzzing

to be copiously supplied a young singer/dancer who seems to be bursting with energy and talent

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bursting

Noun

Especially when that time could be directed to a central ensemble bursting with more than enough charm, chemistry and appropriately youthful folly to generate plenty of tea on their own. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026 Returns were negative only in 1978, amid inflation; 2002, during the bursting of the tech bubble; and 2018, amid the trade war and the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026 His bladder was full to bursting but his body could not — would not — let go. — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026 One reason for Thiele’s bursting-at-the-seams friend group is his growing list of Imdb credits. — Anna Tingley, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026 My phone lights up with a new text, and my heart lights up, too, a fresh lime dropping into a cold bottle of beer, a bursting balloon, a cartoon lightbulb flicking on with sudden, radiant intensity. — Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026 His business has survived multiple recessions, the bursting of the dot-com bubble and the 2008 financial crisis. — Cj Haddad,katie Tarasov, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026 Whether the podcasting asset bubble bursting led directly to the ascendance of YouTube and video podcasting, or was simply incidental to the inevitable growth of YouTube podcasts, is a question reserved for podcast philosophers. — Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 Sonically, there are specific elements that an arena-bursting, chart-topping song needs. — Jack Cosbie, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2026

Verb

And every few months, a bursting FedEx envelope from Baltimore would appear at my desk at PRH containing Professor Dixon’s typewritten chunks of new and unpublished writing. — Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026 People are herby, people are lemony, people are mustardy, bursting at the taste buds with umami. — Raven Smith, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026 Morgan Stanley shrugged off the bubble-bursting concerns, with its Global Investment Committee reiterating a year-end S&P 500 target of 8,000 and a mid-2027 target of 8,300—bullish territory, not a bust. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026 For a child bursting with energy, few things are more fun than hurtling through a bouncy castle, launching into the air, and ping-ponging between every surface. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026 Meanwhile, actor and artist RiRia has a lifelong devotion to punk fashion, curating a Hysteric Glamour wardrobe bursting with color, energy and attitude. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 What Luvanga can bring to the Spirit The Tanzanian’s skill set could round out the attacking portfolio on a Spirit side already bursting with creativity. — Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 That sequence, bursting with vitality, lushly textured visuals and provocative images, feels like a reward for staying the course with this sprawling two-part director’s cut, which runs an epic seven hours and 25 minutes. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026 The Fire Department rescued numerous residents who had become trapped by the flames, which were seen bursting from the building, KCTV5 reported at the time. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bursting

Adjective

Taylor received the medication in four pre-filled syringes, but wanted a lower dose.

— Kara McGrath, Allure, 15 Sep. 2026
New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania have introduced or passed legislation penalizing the practice and requiring employers to disclose hiring timelines or remove filled postings, while Texas has opened its own investigation into a major job board.

— Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of filled

Noun

Xu Fu and Ma Junsheng also play surrogate dads to Seif, whose increasingly violent eruptions threaten to change the course of his life more than once.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
The designation indicates heightened volcanic activity and the potential for an eruption, or an eruption underway with limited hazards to aviation.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of eruption

Verb

Carousel music mixed with the thunderous roar of roller coaster carts exploding through dizzying loops and heart-stopping drops.

— Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
The team that finished 24th in the league in runs scored, exploding for seven runs in game one of the ALCS against one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of exploding

Verb

You’re always getting blindsided by massive, earth-shattering events.

— Adam B. Vary, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
The only trace left of a content shoot earlier in the day is a smidge of smokey eye makeup, while a pair of black, ankle-shattering Jimmy Choo stilettos have been replaced with khaki trainers.

— Sophie Williams, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of shattering

Verb

It was purchased by husband-and-wife duo Kelly and Bryan Binder during the pandemic, and reopened in 2024 as the current nine-bedroom buzzing boutique hotel.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
The Packers are simply buzzing now, which includes their defense continuing to take the ball away.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of buzzing

Adjective

The unrest comes on the eve of Art Basel Paris this week, sparking concerns about the impact this may have on the fair and a packed week of art events throughout the city.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Microsoft and Nvidia held a launch party for the first wave of RTX Spark laptops last week in San Francisco, where a new wave of AI PCs took center stage amid a packed crowd and a lively hands-on area.

— Tom Warren, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of packed

Noun

In the 1960s America launched the Vela fleet of satellites, whose sole task was to look at Earth’s surface and search for any telltale neutrons, x-rays and gamma rays—extremely high-energy particles—coming from a nuclear explosion.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Most of these fragments were generated by explosions and orbital collisions that shattered satellites and used rocket stages into clouds of dangerous debris.

— Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of explosion

Verb

Akhtar the author, though, is conducting a stealthy psyop aimed at detonating the certainties of combatants on both sides.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Jentleson compares the power of fusing race and these questions of fairness to detonating a nuclear warhead.

— Isaac Arnsdorf, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of detonating

Cite this Entry

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“Bursting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bursting. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of bursting

adjective

noun

verb

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