or bust
/ɔɹ ˈbʌst/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.04 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
phrase
Used to indicate one's intention to do everything possible to achieve a goal, with failure being the only alternative.
American usage; Informal
Example Sentences
- "Nearly half a lifetime I have lived in Laramie, with all the while a great longing to see the wonders of the Yellowstone— [...] so when the boys wrote along the wagon top "Park or Bust," that settled it, and we started July 4th, 1903."
- "Mr. [William Jennings] Bryan recognizes that he must win New York—"or bust." He went there straight from Des Moines and had a three-hour conference with the local leaders."
- "Here it was, in black and white: More than 50 percent of our membership Tenderfoot Scouts, about 25 percent Second Class, only 20 percent First Class or more! [...] Set a goal—something like "First Class or more before '54!" or, if you are more ambitious than that: "First Class or bust, by September Fu'st!""
- "The rush [the Pike's Peak Gold Rush] took on new momentum. [...] Each day fresh emigrants left the outfitting places along the Missouri with signs on their wagons, "Pikes Peak or Bust." During the summer of 1859 a continuing flood of gold-seekers poured across the plains and on into the mountains to conquer the Front and Park Ranges."
- "In the fall of 1951, I was on my way to South Dakota State College in Brookings SD with Dale Pettyjohn in his Model A Ford. We painted the back of the Model A in white letters "SDSC or Bust"."
- "For scores of African migrants, it's a case of "Europe or bust", no matter what Moroccan authorities throw at them in the way of detentions and being bussed hundreds of kilometres away."
Etymology
Indicating that the only alternative to what is being attempted is a bust (“(slang) failed enterprise; bomb”).
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɔɹ ˈbʌst/
- British English: /ɔː ˈbʌst/
Usage
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
swing for the fences
victory or death