Bused, bussed, and bust are commonly confused words that are pronounced in the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the different meanings of the homophonic words bused, bussed and bust, the word origins of the terms, and some examples of their English usage in sentences.
Bused is the past tense of the verb, bus, meaning to transport on a large vehicle known as a bus. Bused is also used in North America to mean clearing the dirty dishes from a table in a restaurant. The word bused appears as though it should rhyme with the word fused; however, it does not. For this reason, some spell the past tense of bused with two s’s, as in bussed—which is a word that will be discussed later in this article. Related words are bus, buses, busing. The word bus is an abbreviation of the word omnibus; it came into use in the 1830s to describe a steam-powered mode of public transportation.
Bussed is the past tense of the verb, buss, which is a word that means to kiss. However, some spell the past tense of the verb bus with two s’s; this is considered a secondary, acceptable spelling that follows the English convention of doubling the consonant after a short vowel when conjugating a verb. The Oxford English Dictionary lists the verb buss as a North American word; however, it also lists the origin as dating to the 16th century, from the Middle English word, bass.
Bust is used as a noun to mean the chest or upper torso; a sculpture that includes the shoulders and head of the subject. It also refers to the chest measurement of a woman; or an arrest of a criminal, especially one involved in drugs. Bust is used informally as a verb to mean to break or burst; related words are busted, busting. The word bust has evolved over time. First, bust came into use in the late 1600s to mean a sculpture that includes the head and shoulders of the subject, from the Latin word, bustum, meaning funeral monument. In the mid-1700s, bust also came to mean a live, human torso. Finally, at the turn of the 19th century, bust came to mean to break or burst; the term was a variant of the word, burst.
Examples
About 150 kids from Tijuana were bused to the Mexican consulate in San Diego on Thursday where county nurses administered the Pfizer vaccine. (AP News)
It comes amid concern about asylum seekers being bussed from Dover to a detention centre in Scotland. (Daily Record)
Once safely across the street, I watched as Jennifer bussed the table for two young girls with flawless skin and short skirts. (Los Angeles Magazine)
An Elvis Presley bust that was swiped from a central Illinois bar has been returned after the story of its theft attracted international attention. (Boston Herald)
“Make sure they’re secured in the trunk where nobody has easy access and they can’t bust a window or anything to get to them,” he said. (Exponent Telegram)