burn off

verb

|Updated on: 23 Jul 2018

Definition of burn off

intransitive verb

: to be dissipated by the sun's warmth

waiting for the fog to burn off

transitive verb

: to cause to burn off

Recent Examples of burn off from the Web

Growing up in Colorado as one of seven children, hiking had been a family ritual — her parents’ way of getting her and her siblings to burn off energy without busting through the walls or the budget.

— New York Times, "The Amy Adams Method," 29 June 2018
The trampoline parks like Sky Zone and Helium are a great way for everyone to burn off energy.

— lori nickel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "An active family, an odd work schedule leaves Mom with no workout routine," 12 June 2018
First, the experts check for anything that could help identify the bodies, such as clothing that hasn’t been burned off by flows said to have reached temperatures as high as 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit (700 C).

— Washington Post, "Grim task as forensic experts ID Guatemala volcano victims," 8 June 2018
First, the experts check for anything that could help identify the bodies, such as clothing that hasn't been burned off by flows said to have reached temperatures as high as 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit (700 C).

— sonia perez d., chicagotribune.com, "Grim task as forensic experts ID Guatemala volcano victims; death toll hits 110," 8 June 2018
Otherwise, soot that never gets burned off can build up.

— Popular Mechanics, "The Lightning-Fast Guide to Figuring Out What's Wrong With Your Car," 21 Nov. 2017
Sources on the Caribbean island confirmed that Gayle Anderson, 71, had her hair burnt off when she was found dead 20 feet from her luxury retirement home.

— Fox News, "UK couple murdered in Jamaica 'tortured and set on fire before fleeing house and collapsing dead'," 25 June 2018
But there’s one protest platform that won’t burn off: Donald Trump.

— daniel henninger, WSJ, "Trump 7, Eagles 0," 6 June 2018
In the second half, American Heritage-Delray went four corners, burning off a significant portion of the clock while passing the ball around the perimeter.

— wells dusenbury, Sun-Sentinel.com, "American Heritage-Delray tops Vero Beach to advance to girls lacrosse state championship," 11 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'burn off.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of burn off

circa 1925

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Learn More about burn off

See words that rhyme with burn off

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up burn off? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

burn off

Definition of burn off

Recent Examples of burn off from the Web

First Known Use of burn off

Learn More about burn off

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

thwart

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

'Banana Republic': A History

The Many Plurals of 'Octopus'

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

The Eponym Quiz

Spell It

Word Winder's CrossWinder

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

Ghost Word

burn off

Definition of burn off

Recent Examples of burn off from the Web

First Known Use of burn off

Learn More about burn off

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

Ghost Word