1
as in to glow
to be on fire especially brightly
all evening long we just sat there, contentedly watching the Yule log burn
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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
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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
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4
as in to flame
to shine with a bright harsh light
the bright streetlight outside our motel room burned all night long
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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
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6
as in to consume
to make complete use of
heedlessly burning the country's resources without any concern for future generations
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as in brook
a natural body of running water smaller than a river
the walkers forded the shallow burn and then came upon a field of gorse
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as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
seeing people violate smoking bans really burns me up
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as in combustible
capable of catching or being set on fire
don't put something so burnable as a towel next to the stove
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of burn
Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2023
William Lucas, 8, survived after Tonya Lucas’ boyfriend at the time rescued him from the burning home.
—Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 12 Sep. 2023
Angela Haupt, Time, 23 June 2025
Blacklock told Grist the organization based its wildfire project on research known as the Tamm Review, which found that thinning combined with prescribed burns can reduce wildfire severity by 62 to 72 percent.
—Tom Brown, Wired News, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for burn
Verb
Such interactions can light a fuse that may burn throughout a school year, only to erupt when students arrive for a new semester driving their parents’ car.
—Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2023
William Lucas, 8, survived after Tonya Lucas’ boyfriend at the time rescued him from the burning home.
—Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 12 Sep. 2023
Noun
About half the cases of melanoma that Redford treats every year are related to burns.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 23 June 2025
Blacklock told Grist the organization based its wildfire project on research known as the Tamm Review, which found that thinning combined with prescribed burns can reduce wildfire severity by 62 to 72 percent.
—Tom Brown, Wired News, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for burn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burn
Noun
-
Both Bazzano and Wells, however, hit the jackpot that afternoon, fishing a variety of water from the big lake to a small brook.—
Robeson Bailey,
Outdoor Life,
11 June 2025
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The vast and varied network of the Camino de Santiago has been compared to a river system where small brooks join together to make streams, and those streams come together to make rivers that ‘flow’ to the cathedral.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2025
Adjective
-
Joaquin and Pedro together are surprisingly like a combustible, great pair.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
27 June 2025
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Shroff agreed the Israel debate is politically combustible but said Mamdani's framing has still resonated with many younger voters.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
Noun
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While traversing steep mountain trails and navigating undulating bent grass greens at Cliffhangers, golfers will drive carts through cascading waterfalls, cross swift flowing creeks, and wind through a cave system.—
Erik Matuszewski,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
-
It is situated along a creek just off California State Route 2 in Angeles National Forest.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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While the Yankees weren’t too explosive on their annual fireworks night, their three runs proved plenty with Tim Hill, Fernando Cruz, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams keeping the A’s off the board.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
28 June 2025
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The 30,000-pound bomb consists of steel, explosive and a fuse programmed to a specific detonation time.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 June 2025
Noun
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The stream will be hosted on the Virtual Telescope Project's YouTube channel starting at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) on June 30 and will be free to watch.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
30 June 2025
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Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.—
Keith Caulfield,
Billboard,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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This product is flammable, so make sure not to spray it near a grill or bonfire, Vanchinathan said.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
20 June 2025
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Unfortunately, tapping into a vast natural reservoir of flammable methane gas, the pit has been burning since then, even growing in size over time.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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And all this against an inflammable backdrop of geopolitical crises including but not limited to the Israel-Hamas war and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.—
John Leicester,
Quartz,
15 Apr. 2024
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Heat also stresses old electrical systems — insulation breaks down; lubricants in relays dry out — and a not-insignificant amount of the subway’s electrical wiring dates to the 1920s and 1930s, some of it cloth-covered, inflammable, and pervious to water.—
Curbed,
Curbed,
28 July 2023
Cite this Entry
“Burn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burn. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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