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 fire starts with pecan wood, burning down to glowing coals.
—
Staff Author, Southern Living, 24 Sep. 2025
Six thousand eight hundred and thirty-one structures burned down, including schools, churches, grocery stores, shops, banks, restaurants, and more than fifty-five hundred homes.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
And the poor people, their f****** house burns down all the time.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Schaefer Road was used for storage and then eventually demolished, the Rotunda burns down.
—Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for burn down
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Staff Author, Southern Living, 24 Sep. 2025
Six thousand eight hundred and thirty-one structures burned down, including schools, churches, grocery stores, shops, banks, restaurants, and more than fifty-five hundred homes.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
And the poor people, their f****** house burns down all the time.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Schaefer Road was used for storage and then eventually demolished, the Rotunda burns down.
—Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for burn down
Cite this Entry
“Burn down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burn%20down. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share