bust \bust\ (b[u^]st), v. i. 1. To break or burst. [informal] [PJC] 2. (Card Playing) In blackjack, to draw a card that causes one's total to exceed twenty-one. [PJC] 3. To go bankrupt. [PJC] {to go bust} to go bankrupt. {or bust} or collapse from the effort; -- used in phrases expressing determination to do something; as, Oregon or bust, meaning "We will get to Oregon or die trying." [PJC]