burner

noun

burn·​er ˈbər-nər 

plural burners

1

: one that burns: such as

a

: the part of a fuel-burning or heat-producing device (such as a furnace or stove) where the flame or heat is produced

b

: a device for recording data on an optical disk

2

: an athlete who possesses great speed

3

: burner phone

… I leaned over and checked the glove box. There were two cell phones in there, both pre-paid burners with a set number of pre-paid minutes, both still in their drugstore packaging, effectively untraceable if bought with cash …

—Lee Child

4

medical : stinger sense 4

He missed two games late in the season because of what athletic trainers call "cervical burners," a fairly appropriate description of the pain that would originate in Wadsworth's neck and shoot down his body.

—Emily Dorman

see also burner account

Examples of burner in a Sentence

The burner on the furnace isn't working.

The computer comes equipped with a CD burner.

Recent Examples on the Web

The large kitchen, meanwhile, features a recessed dual-burner stove with gas lid, large rectangular. —New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2025

How to Watch Mavericks vs Rockets The Rockets cooked on all burners offensively in a 128-101 road victory over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2025

Beyond heart health, basketball is also an excellent fat burner. —Daryl Austin, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025

That can be seen in your direction which very often mixes old and new, such as the pension, with modern drawers but an old gas-burner…. —John Hopewell, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing burner

• back burner
• barn burner
• Bunsen burner
• burner account
• burner phone
• front burner
• on the back burner
• on the front burner

Rhymes for burner

• earner
• learner
• sterner
• afterburner

Kids Definition

burner

noun

burn·​er ˈbər-nər 

: one that burns: as

a

: the part of a fuel-burning or heat-producing device (as a furnace or stove) where a flame or heat is produced

b

: a device for recording data on an optical disk

Medical Definition

burner

noun

burn·​er ˈbər-nər 

: stinger sense 2