What does “stress buster” mean in English?

Last-Minute Mother’s Day Tech Gift Ideas

WhatsAppGmailTelegramEmail

B1 English listening practice · American English · Picked for people who know some

💡 Did you know?
stress buster
Word-building pattern
A “stress buster” is something that quickly removes or reduces stress.

English has many common “-buster” compounds, where “-buster” means “something that gets rid of that thing.” A “stress buster” gets rid of stress. A “myth buster” shows that false beliefs are wrong. A “crime buster” fights crime. The word “buster” alone means a person or thing that breaks something apart. Knowing this pattern helps you understand these words — but it is safest to copy common ones like these rather than invent your own.

In the clip, a tech reporter calls a Nintendo Switch gaming console a “stress buster for mom.” The idea is that playing a fun video game helps you relax after a hard day. You can use “-buster” the same way in everyday speech: “That walk was a real stress buster.” “This tea is my morning stress buster.” Notice that “buster” almost always sounds positive — it means something has power over a problem, not just small comfort.

From 9NEWS↗ on YouTube.Watch original

How common are the words?

How common are the words in this B1 English listening practice video?

91.2%
of words are in the top 2,000 most common English words
Most of the words in this video are common English words.

How common in written English

85.7%
Top 1,000
91.2%
Top 2,000
95.2%
Top 5,000

How common in spoken English

93.6%
Top 1,000
97.2%
Top 2,000
100%
Top 5,000
👄 Words for talking
This video uses words people often say in English.

Harder words in this video

These words are harder than B1. Here is what they mean.

powerconf
1×
Not in top 5,000
conference device
smartwatch
1×
Not in top 5,000
a wrist computer
gift of a vaccine
1×
vaccine seen as a valuable benefit

Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-US 2012 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.

See American English Videos You Can Understand on Reelang

Open English page