burn

1 of 3

verb

ˈbərn 

burned ˈbərnd 

ˈbərnt

or burnt ˈbərnt  ; burning; burns

intransitive verb

1

a

: to consume fuel and give off heat, light, and gases

A small fire burned on the hearth.

b

: to undergo combustion

Soft woods burn easily.

—Marc Hayot

also : to undergo nuclear fission or nuclear fusion

A constant fusion fire burns in its core, where the hydrogen atomic nuclei merge into helium.

—Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics

c

: to contain a fire

a little stove burning in the corner

d

: to give off light : shine, glow

a light burning in the window

… an incandescent light bulb burns for 3,000 hours.

—Jena Tesse Fox

e

: to use freely without limits

children with energy to burn

Whether you have money to burn or are on a tight budget, you can build an entire home gym …

—Chris Woolston

… the organization has been burning through money at an unsustainable rate for years …

—Jim Ridley

2

a

: to be hot

the burning sand

b

: to produce or undergo an uncomfortable or painful sensation like that of being injured by fire

ears burning from the cold

My tongue was burning from the hot peppers.

There was also a menacing pinprick sensation along the top of my head as my feet burned on the asphalt.

—Peter Merkl

c

: to become emotionally excited or agitated: such as

(1)

: to feel an intense desire

She was burning to tell her story.

(2)

: to be or become very angry or disgusted

The remark made him burn.

3

a

: to undergo alteration or destruction by the action of fire or heat

The house burned down.

The potatoes burned to a crisp.

b

informal : to die in the electric chair

4

: to force or make a way by or as if by burning

Her words burned into his heart.

5

: to suffer sunburn

She burns easily.

Any exposed part of your body, including your earlobes, scalp and lips, can burn.

—Laurel Kelly

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause (something) to undergo combustion

especially : to destroy (something) by fire

They burned all his letters.

b

: to use (something) as fuel

This furnace burns gas.

We used to burn wood to cook and heat all over Alaska.

—Robert Seitz

c

: to use (something) up : consume

burn calories

If Philadelphia managed a stop, they could burn a timeout and still have plenty of time for another offensive possession to respond to a potential field goal.

—Greg Wong

2

a

: to transform (something) by exposure to heat or fire

burn wood into charcoal

b

: to produce (something) by burning

burned a hole in his sleeve

c

: to record digital data or music on (an optical disc) using a laser

burn a CD

also : to record (data or music) in this way

burn songs onto a disk

… one of the most frequent ways to distribute entertainment is to burn a DVD movie onto a rewritable compact disc.

—Hugh Grant

3

a

: to injure or damage (something or someone) by or as if by exposure to fire, heat, or radiation : scorch

burned her hand

burned himself with the hot pan

… cayenne pepper will burn your eyes.

—John Green

b

: to execute (something) by burning

Heretics are no longer burned at the stake.

—Roger Scruton

c

informal : electrocute

4

a

: irritate, annoy

—often used with up

It really burns me up!

b

: to subject to misfortune, mistreatment, or deception

—often used in passive

has been burned in love

… people with more money than sense are going to get burned.

—Stuart Jeffries

c

: to beat or score on

burned the defense with a touchdown pass

It's a way of saying we're going to burn the other team at the game …

—Zaimarie De Guzman

burnable

ˈbər-nə-bəl 

adjective

removed all the burnable material

burnable CDs

burn

2 of 3

noun (1)

plural burns

1

: an act, process, instance, or result of burning: such as

a

: injury or damage resulting from exposure to fire, heat, caustics, electricity, or certain radiations

b

: a burned area

a burn on the tabletop

c

: an abrasion (as of the skin) having the appearance of a burn

rope burns

d

: a burning sensation

the burn of iodine on a cut

2

: the firing of a rocket engine in flight

3

: anger

especially : increasing fury

—used chiefly in the phrase slow burn

4

slang : a cutting remark intended to embarrass or humiliate someone

—used chiefly in the phrase sick burn

But plenty of us peasants know the feeling: We have stared down an unraveling romantic relationship and wanted desperately to spew one more sick burn or two about a now-former partner.

—Alana Massey

During a lecture on conservatism at an Ivy League university, a 65-year-old guest speaker delivered a sick burn to the president of the United States.

—Amanda Arnold

burn

3 of 3

noun (2)

British

: creek sense 1

Phrases

burn one's bridges or less commonly burn one's boats

: to cut off all means of retreat

burn one's ears

: to rebuke strongly

burn the candle at both ends

: to use one's resources or energies to excess

burn the midnight oil

: to work or study far into the night

Synonyms

Verb

• blaze
• combust
• flame
• glow

Noun (2)

• beck [British]
• bourn
• bourne
• brook
• brooklet
• creek
• gill [British]
• rill
• rivulet
• run [chiefly Midland]
• runlet
• runnel
• streamlet

Examples of burn in a Sentence

Verb

A flame is kept constantly burning at the monument.

A small fire burned brightly in the fireplace.

There was a little stove burning in the front room.

I could smell smoke and knew that something was burning.

Be sure not to leave any candles burning when you go to bed.

I burned the letter when I had finished reading it.

The new town law makes it illegal to burn trash.

The wildfire has burned acres of forest.

Parts of the house were badly burned in the fire.

a material that burns easily

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Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea. —Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second. —Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 13 Sep. 2023

Thick smoke of burning incense penetrates the room, perfuming everything sacred. —Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023

Be sure to burn this candle on a heat-safe surface, and always trim the wick to ¼ or ½ inch before lighting for the best candle burning results. —Sarah Wolf Halverson, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2023

Such interactions can light a fuse that may burn throughout a school year, only to erupt when students arrive for a new semester driving their parents’ car. —Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2023

William Lucas, 8, survived after Tonya Lucas’ boyfriend at the time rescued him from the burning home. —Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 12 Sep. 2023

Yet, Ewers’ cannon of a right arm burned the Tide’s secondary more often than not with six completions of at least 30 yards. —Nick Alvarez | [e-mail], al, 10 Sep. 2023

An estimated 358,000 vehicles were damaged from Hurricane Ian’s widespread flooding in Florida and the Carolinas and only 21 electric vehicles are known to have burned — a number much lower than some officials initially warned of. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023

Noun

Autoworkers at Detroit’s biggest vehicle manufacturers are signing up for strike shifts, buying burn barrels and saving money to prepare for a possible work stoppage as contract talks remain tense ahead of Thursday’s deadline. —Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2023

But two guns were under the debris in the burn barrel, and a shot went off while the boy was standing next to the barrel, according to the sheriff's office. —Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2023

In reality, the first sensation is sweet, with a slow burn that builds from Tianjin chiles. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023

From strappy numbers for your next Spin class to seamless, ribbed designs for a slow yoga burn, these are the best sports bras on Amazon that athletes recommend adding to cart ASAP. —Nikhita Mahtani, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2023

With up to 60 hours of burn time, the candle makes a great addition to any gift bag or as a gift on its own. —Jenna Clark, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Sep. 2023

The burn had initially been scheduled for Saturday night but was postponed to Sunday and then again to Monday night. —BostonGlobe.com, 4 Sep. 2023

Hereditary | Official Trailer HD | A24 Watch on A slow burn of crawl-out-of-your-skin dread, Ari Aster’s Hereditary has quickly gained recognition as one of the best scary movies of all time. —Claudia Guthrie, ELLE, 29 Aug. 2023

Last week, Edwards declared a state of emergency because of extreme heat and believes that some of the fires could have been prevented if residents had adhered to the statewide burn ban which has been in effect for weeks. —Janet Shamlian, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English birnen, from Old English byrnan, intransitive verb, bærnan, transitive verb; akin to Old High German brinnan to burn

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German brunno spring of water

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2c

Noun (1)

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing burn

• burn down
• burn away
• burn in
• burn the midnight oil
• burn through
• first-degree burn
• do a slow burn
• crash and burn
• second-degree burn
• money to burn
• freezer burn
• third-degree burn
• burn off
• burn to a cinder
• burn oneself
• hang/burn in effigy
• burn fat
• burn rubber
• burn to death
• burn up
• burn alive
• slash-and-burn
• burn out
• burn one's ears
• burn one's boats
• burn the candle at both ends
• burn one's bridges

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• burn down
• burn away
• burn in
• burn the midnight oil
• burn through
• first-degree burn
• do a slow burn
• crash and burn
• second-degree burn
• money to burn
• freezer burn
• third-degree burn
• burn off
• burn to a cinder
• burn oneself
• hang/burn in effigy
• burn fat
• burn rubber
• burn to death
• burn up
• burn alive
• slash-and-burn
• burn out
• burn one's ears
• burn one's boats
• burn the candle at both ends
• burn one's bridges

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Kids Definition

burn

1 of 2 verb

ˈbərn 

burned

ˈbərnd,

ˈbərnt

or burnt

ˈbərnt

; burning

1

: to be or set on fire

2

a

: to feel hot or inflamed

the burning sand

b

: to become excited

burn with anger

c

: scorch entry 1 sense 1

burned the toast

d

: to appear as if on fire : glow

leave a light burning in the window

e

: to destroy by fire

burn trash

f

: to use as fuel

this furnace burns gas

your body burns food

3

a

: to produce by the action of fire or heat

burn a hole in the rug

b

: to record data or music on a disk using a laser

burn a CD

4

: to injure or change by or as if by fire or heat

burn out a bearing

5

: to suffer sunburn

she burns easily

burnable

ˈbər-nə-bəl

adjective

burningly

-niŋ-lē

adverb

burn

2 of 2 noun

: injury, damage, or effect produced by or as if by burning

Medical Definition

burn

1 of 2 verb

ˈbərn 

burned ˈbərnd  ˈbərnt  or burnt ˈbərnt  ; burning

intransitive verb

1

: to produce or undergo discomfort or pain

iodine burns so

ears burning from the cold

2

: to become reddened or irritated by or as if by exposure to sun or wind

she burns easily

transitive verb

1

: to injure or damage by exposure to fire, heat, or radiation

burned his hand

2

: to break down and use as a source of energy

burn calories during exercise

burn

2 of 2 noun

1

: bodily injury resulting from exposure to heat, caustics, electricity, or some radiations, marked by varying degrees of skin destruction and hyperemia often with the formation of watery blisters and in severe cases by charring of the tissues, and classified according to the extent and degree of the injury see first-degree burn, second-degree burn, third-degree burn

2

: an abrasion having the appearance of a burn

friction burns

cold burn

3

: a burning sensation

the burn of iodine applied to a cut