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
Police said an officer contacted at least 23 alleged victims, including a victim who said their home had recently burned down.
—
Tim Fang, CBS News, 28 Nov. 2025
So when my house burned down this year.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025
Horrified Orcadians ostracized the miscreant and twice tried to burn down his home.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Their natural environment is being polluted and burned down, and people still hunt them for their meat.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for burn down
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Tim Fang, CBS News, 28 Nov. 2025
So when my house burned down this year.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025
Horrified Orcadians ostracized the miscreant and twice tried to burn down his home.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Their natural environment is being polluted and burned down, and people still hunt them for their meat.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 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 Dec. 2025.
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