# bust a move

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/bust-a-move
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To dance.

## Examples

- The music started and he began to bust a move.
- When the DJ played her favorite song, she could not help but get on the floor and bust a move.
- You should bust a move at the wedding reception because everyone is waiting for someone to start the party.
- Despite his initial hesitation, the shy guest eventually found his rhythm and decided to bust a move on the crowded dance floor.

## Origin

An ellipsis of the phrase *bust out a move*, from the sense of unveiling or demonstrating a dance from one’s repertoire. The term appears in the 1986 song Posse in Effect by the Beastie Boys, during which the performer M.C.A. declares, "Pay attention, my intention is to bust a move." The phrase was further popularized by the 1989 single of the same name by the rapper Young MC. In the narrative of the song, the protagonist encounters various difficulties in his attempts to find or seduce a woman, a failure attributed to his inability to dance. It is the absence of the move, and the subsequent inability to bust it, that drives the plot.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.