burn down
phrasal verb
burned down or burnt down; burning down; burns down
1
of a building or other structure
: to be destroyed by fire
The hotel burned down in 1922.
2
of a fire
: to become smaller : to gradually produce less and less flame
We watched the fire as it slowly burned down.
3
: to destroy (something) by fire
Vandals burned down the school.
burned it down
Examples of burn down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The mysterious new couple quickly become notorious for lavish parties and being the center of community gossip, but when their beach house suddenly burns down, and one of their employees goes missing, the town must come together to figure out what really happened that fateful night.
—
Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 11 June 2024
Armed with machetes and pitchforks, these fighters seized a cache of muskets, then burned down a mansion.
—Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024
Holder’s has been on Wolfe for two years, ever since its original South De Anza Boulevard location burned down.
—Stephanie Lam, The Mercury News, 30 May 2024
Many spoke of the violence that had driven them away: their villages had been burnt down, family members had been killed, and Sudanese military and militia members had threatened their lives.
—Aaron Williams, Foreign Affairs, 4 Feb. 2016
The original location closed after former owner Rodney Anderson burned down the building with two co-workers, Vincent Pisciotta and Mark Sorrentino, in an attempt to gain insurance money in 2008.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2024
In the fall of 2020, part of the camp burned down in a fire — resulting in the loss of a barn that included office space, horse stalls and an indoor rock wall, among other things, according to a Facebook post.
—Makena Gera, Peoplemag, 30 May 2024
Around 30 homes and five retail businesses were burned down in the fighting, local officials said.
—Rod McGuirk, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 May 2024
After its first and only issue was published, its offices burned down.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 23 May 2024
Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 11 June 2024
Armed with machetes and pitchforks, these fighters seized a cache of muskets, then burned down a mansion.
—Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024
Holder’s has been on Wolfe for two years, ever since its original South De Anza Boulevard location burned down.
—Stephanie Lam, The Mercury News, 30 May 2024
Many spoke of the violence that had driven them away: their villages had been burnt down, family members had been killed, and Sudanese military and militia members had threatened their lives.
—Aaron Williams, Foreign Affairs, 4 Feb. 2016
The original location closed after former owner Rodney Anderson burned down the building with two co-workers, Vincent Pisciotta and Mark Sorrentino, in an attempt to gain insurance money in 2008.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2024
In the fall of 2020, part of the camp burned down in a fire — resulting in the loss of a barn that included office space, horse stalls and an indoor rock wall, among other things, according to a Facebook post.
—Makena Gera, Peoplemag, 30 May 2024
Around 30 homes and five retail businesses were burned down in the fighting, local officials said.
—Rod McGuirk, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 May 2024
After its first and only issue was published, its offices burned down.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 23 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'burn down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near burn down
Cite this Entry
“Burn down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burn%20down. Accessed 18 Jun. 2024.
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