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

Then, in August 2014, her Modern Family costar Julie Bowen intervened and helped Hyland end her relationship, which, per Hyland's restraining order filing, allegedly led Prokop to threaten to kill her dog and burn down her house. —Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026

Why does Victor burn down the tower? —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Jan. 2026

Only when Manderley burns down can the protagonists start anew. —James Horncastle, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026

Tiana Noble, a Starbucks spokesperson, said the landlord terminated the company’s lease when the building burned down. —Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for burn down

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