Word.ws English Dictionary

vest buster

vest buster noun: a handgun or cartridge that can fully penetrate a contemporary bulletproof vest.

Noun

vest buster (plural vest busters)

  1. A handgun or cartridge that can fully penetrate a contemporary bulletproof vest.
    • Yet, according to data published by the company, the gun press, and the federal government, it appears that the .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum is plainly capable of defeating the highest level of police body armor worn in all but SWAT-type situations. It is a vest buster.2004, Violence Policy Center, Vest Buster: The .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum—The Gun Industry’s Latest Challenge to Law Enforcement Body Armor
    • Joby nodded, “I'll wait,” and offered his support—two live rounds of 9mm Black Talon ammunition. “Vest busters,” in case the cops harassed him.2008, Kerrie Droban, Running with the Devil: The True Story of the ATF's Infiltration of the Hells Angels, page 121

Forms of vest buster

pluralvest busters

Questions about vest buster

What does vest buster mean?
Vest buster means a handgun or cartridge that can fully penetrate a contemporary bulletproof vest.
What part of speech is vest buster?
Vest buster is a noun.
What is the plural of vest buster?
The plural of vest buster is vest busters.

Words near vest buster in the dictionary

  1. Vesseys
  2. vessiculation
  3. vessonite
  4. vessonites
  5. vest
  6. vest buster
  7. vest busters
  8. vest date
  9. vest dates
  10. vest frottoir
  11. vest frottoirs

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: vest buster (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-vest buster.ogg.

Cite this entry: “vest buster.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/vest_buster. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.