1
as in to glow
to be on fire especially brightly
all evening long we just sat there, contentedly watching the Yule log burn
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to scorch
to set (something) on fire
it is not a good idea to try to burn old papers in the sink
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to steam
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger
he came home burning with anger because of a reprimand at work
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to flame
to shine with a bright harsh light
the bright streetlight outside our motel room burned all night long
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in to deceive
to cause to believe what is untrue
he's been burned before, so he's careful to double-check such claims now
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to consume
to make complete use of
heedlessly burning the country's resources without any concern for future generations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in creek
a natural body of running water smaller than a river
the walkers forded the shallow burn and then came upon a field of gorse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of burn
Tristan Bove, Fortune, 1 June 2026
Once the whiskey was flowing, Louanne burned the chicken and Dean misplaced his appetite.
—Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2026
Ironically, the area needs a big storm, which could be destructive in its own right, to put an end to the burn.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for burn
Verb
That’s despite the fact the area burned by fires around the world was 16% below the long-term average of around 400 million hectares.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 1 June 2026
Once the whiskey was flowing, Louanne burned the chicken and Dean misplaced his appetite.
—Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Noun
Kuna fires out, abandoned home burns Smoke poured out of two fires in Kuna on Thursday, said James Trumble, the Kuna Rural Fire District’s assistant chief.
—Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2026
Ironically, the area needs a big storm, which could be destructive in its own right, to put an end to the burn.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for burn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burn
Verb
-
At Palisades State Park, striking red-pink Sioux quartzite cliffs jut up to 50 feet above Split Rock Creek, their jagged faces almost glowing against a backdrop of bucolic farmland.—
Taryn Shorr-Mckee,
Midwest Living,
4 June 2026
-
Although the building is gray and the galleries dark, the contents glow.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
As a scorching wind tears across the barren, rocky slopes of Komote Island off the shore of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya, Alfred Lenkutuk sits in the meager shelter of his hut, gazing out over the village where he was born and remembering better times.—
Tommy Trenchard,
NPR,
31 May 2026
-
Nicole Maccalla, a member of Eaton Fire Residents United, spent five months fighting with her insurer after the Eaton fire scorched the roof of her home.—
Jason Henry,
Daily News,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
The menu reads like a love letter to the nearby ocean, with a raw bar serving oysters and littleneck clams by the half-dozen and steaming bowls of clam chowder.—
Zoey Goto,
Travel + Leisure,
2 June 2026
-
Dale thought of the donuts and wondered if steaming them in their combination oven would consistently bake them all the way through.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
The restaurant doesn’t let meat lovers suffer, offering a 24-ounce Tomahawk and a flaming filet flaming courtesy of tequila.—
Connie Ogle
May 31,
Miami Herald,
31 May 2026
-
Men were in sinking ships, and their only choice was to jump into a flaming ocean.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said during a news conference that the company suppressed internal safety warnings and deceived users about the true nature and dangers of the product.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
-
Yet while Hiller has been seemingly everywhere on TV lately, appearances in this industry can be deceiving.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
According to the lawsuit, the child consumed the kofta at The Kebab Shop on Los Feliz Boulevard on or about April 1.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
Goldman Sachs forecasts a 24-fold increase in token consumption by 2030, reaching 120 quadrillion tokens per month, as agentic AI systems replace single-prompt interactions with multi-step tasks that consume orders of magnitude more compute per query.—
Rakesh Kumar,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Campers and hikers should avoid streams or creeks.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
30 May 2026
-
After a search for Airen that involved multiple agencies, his body was found in a creek bed in Bates County.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Videos published online and geolocated by NBC News showed a blazing fire inside the airport, surrounded by debris and heavy smoke as people ran for cover.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
-
As Cuciuffo blazed over, Maradona had continued his run in behind Fenwick and been flattened with a blatant elbow.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Burn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burn. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
