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

With his natural charisma and naked emotion, Thug and Big Bank go all the way back to rapper’s childhood traumas (his apartment complex burning down, his older brother dying in front of him) to try to get to the bottom of his emotional outbursts. —Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 11 Sep. 2025

Donal eventually relents, however, after his venue burns down in a convenient plot device. —Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025

The Local Lore Museum burned down; its director estimated that the museum lost 95 percent of its exhibits. —Yegor Mostovshikov, The Dial, 9 Sep. 2025

Though that original structure burned down in 1895, community members joined forces to rebuild their beloved gathering spot, which reopened in its current form in 1990. —Sarah Kuta, Denver Post, 8 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for burn down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown