Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to bust the drug ring

to bust the drug ring

1 7.2
To break up an illegal group that sells drugs, usually by police
  • phrasal verb
  • NSFW
translation icon : desmantelar la red de drogas
  • After months of surveillance, detectives finally busted the drug ring operating in the city center.

Examples

  • They hoped new evidence would help them bust the drug ring in the neighborhood.

  • Can the authorities bust the drug ring before it grows?

  • The police managed to bust the drug ring last night.

  • Why did it take so long to bust the drug ring?

  • The police worked tirelessly to bust the drug ring operating in the neighborhood.

  • After months of surveillance, the authorities were finally able to bust the drug ring and arrest its leaders.

  • The investigation led to a successful operation to bust the drug ring that was distributing drugs across the city.

Synonyms

to bust
vsto bust the drug ring
  • Informal
320 6.1

To enter a place suddenly to arrest people

is about breaking up an illegal drug operation rather than a single raid
to bustin
vsto bust the drug ring
  • Slang
1 9.8

To arrest someone, usually by the police

focuses on breaking the wider illegal drug operation not just one arrest

Antonyms

to establish
772 4.1

To start something that is meant to last

How Thorough

to eradicate
85 6.6
to dismantle
63 4.6
to bust the drug ring
  • NSFW
1 7.2
to break up
152 3.4
to raid
66 4.1
to disrupt
269 4.4

Surface Forms

bust the drug ring infinitive
busted the drug ring past
busted the drug ring past participle
busting the drug ring present participle
busts the drug ring third person singular

Morphology

bust + the + drug + ring

Each constituent directly contributes to the overall meaning: 'bust' (to raid/arrest) applied to 'drug ring' (an organized illegal drug group) yields 'dismantle or break up an illegal drug operation.' The composition follows regular English verb + object patterns and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent senses would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Bust the drug ring comes from the image of police using a forceful bust to break a closed ring of criminals, like smashing a circle so it falls apart. So it now means 'to break up' and stop an illegal drug group.