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
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
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
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
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
British
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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