1
as in glows
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 scorches
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 steams
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 flames
to shine with a bright harsh light
the bright streetlight outside our motel room burned all night long
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in deceives
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 consumes
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 brooks
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 burns
Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Unlike conventional scramjets that rely on kerosene, SPARTAN burns hydrogen, producing zero carbon emissions while enabling reusable, low-maintenance hypersonic flight.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
Sometimes lightning hits the mountainside and splits or burns a tree.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
The cheapest, most efficient way to produce consistent heat has long been with fossil fuels; nothing burns as slow and hot as coal or natural gas.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2025
After Hedda burns Lovborg’s manuscript and Lovborg is shot by a pistol accidentally going off in her own hand (a gun gifted to her by Hedda, one of General Gabler’s ornate firearms), Tesman and Thea team up to attempt to rewrite Lovborg’s manuscript by hand.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
So was a chapter in the original Pinocchio in which the newly sentient puppet falls asleep with his feet on the stove and burns them off.
—Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Solar and wind power are growing fast and account for most of China’s clean electricity, but the country also burns enormous amounts of coal to supply power when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2025
Set after the attacks of October 7, Y (played with slapstick elasticity by poet and playwright Ariel Bronz) pimps himself out for wild, debaucherous parties while the world burns.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2025
NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
Five of them had burns to their hands and faces and three were taken to a hospital, according to the FDNY.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Five firefighters have burns to the hands and face.
—Bonny Chu , Landon Mion , Elizabeth Pritchett, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
The three firefighters who have been hospitalized sustained serious burns that are non-life-threatening.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
The flames rushed from between the two glass walls of the fire pit and hit the 3-year-old boy on his face, neck and arms, leaving second- and third-degree burns over about 15 percent of his body.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
This can increase the risk of burns or further injury.
—Rikkilynn Shields Hannigan, Health, 25 Oct. 2025
One person was killed and a second person suffered burns when a fire erupted in the middle of the night at an RV park near the Charlotte Motor Speedway, according to investigators in North Carolina.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2025
The family said the brothers put their hazard lights on and called 911, reporting no injuries at the time besides slight burns from the airbags.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Saito burns about 7,000 calories per day and has lost 13 pounds so far.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Unlike conventional scramjets that rely on kerosene, SPARTAN burns hydrogen, producing zero carbon emissions while enabling reusable, low-maintenance hypersonic flight.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
Sometimes lightning hits the mountainside and splits or burns a tree.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
The cheapest, most efficient way to produce consistent heat has long been with fossil fuels; nothing burns as slow and hot as coal or natural gas.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2025
After Hedda burns Lovborg’s manuscript and Lovborg is shot by a pistol accidentally going off in her own hand (a gun gifted to her by Hedda, one of General Gabler’s ornate firearms), Tesman and Thea team up to attempt to rewrite Lovborg’s manuscript by hand.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
So was a chapter in the original Pinocchio in which the newly sentient puppet falls asleep with his feet on the stove and burns them off.
—Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Solar and wind power are growing fast and account for most of China’s clean electricity, but the country also burns enormous amounts of coal to supply power when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2025
Set after the attacks of October 7, Y (played with slapstick elasticity by poet and playwright Ariel Bronz) pimps himself out for wild, debaucherous parties while the world burns.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
Most of the victims suffered injuries from glass shards and burns.
—NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
Five of them had burns to their hands and faces and three were taken to a hospital, according to the FDNY.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Five firefighters have burns to the hands and face.
—Bonny Chu , Landon Mion , Elizabeth Pritchett, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
The three firefighters who have been hospitalized sustained serious burns that are non-life-threatening.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
The flames rushed from between the two glass walls of the fire pit and hit the 3-year-old boy on his face, neck and arms, leaving second- and third-degree burns over about 15 percent of his body.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
This can increase the risk of burns or further injury.
—Rikkilynn Shields Hannigan, Health, 25 Oct. 2025
One person was killed and a second person suffered burns when a fire erupted in the middle of the night at an RV park near the Charlotte Motor Speedway, according to investigators in North Carolina.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2025
The family said the brothers put their hazard lights on and called 911, reporting no injuries at the time besides slight burns from the airbags.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burns
Verb
-
The business mogul glows in a golden gown and matching accessories.—
Brittany Talarico,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Dusted with snow and adorned with red berries and pine cones, each pre-lit tree glows with 130 warm white lights.—
Nora Colomer
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That’s the difference between fury that scorches everything in sight and anger that fuels justice.—
Marc Brackett,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Potent scenes fail to be as intense as Taylor’s grind-you-up performance that scorches everything and everyone around her.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Humidity often corrodes cables and steams camera lenses.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The clip then smash-cuts to a scene of Bruce as a child listening to his parents fight in the next room, and we’re meant to understand that the joy and power that steams off of the stage is a cure for the pain of childhood wounds.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The fragmentary Ni 12501 tablet from the Early Dynastic III period of Mesopotamia breaks off when Fox deceives the inhabitants of the netherworld in his quest to retrieve the storm god Ishkur.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
However, each conversion step consumes energy, introduces delay, and loses some of the information carried by the original signal.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Light distorts, sound bends; the signal consumes the chamber, turning technology into liturgy.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The property, which features lush greenery and old-growth trees set among babbling brooks and water features, is open to the public, and the gardens have served as a popular spot for weddings over the decades in addition to an annual Mother’s Day tea that Weston said attracts hundreds each year.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Many of these parcels have elements like oak woodlands, meadows, brooks and rivers that create cooler, wetter areas that help plants and animals endure wildfires or periods of extreme heat or drought.—
Beth Rose Middleton Manning,
The Conversation,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Cassel will play Anastasia, an 18-year-old ballet dancer newly arrived in Paris whose encounter with the mysterious Phantom ignites an impossible love story.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
-
This happens when creosote—a tar-like residue that clings to the inside of the chimney—ignites.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
As the battle rages on at Montecalvo, a smaller battle, though no less consequential, is unfolding at Vilgefortz’s secret lair.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
-
As Hurricane Melissa rages across Jamaica, even those reporting the news have been struck by the severity of the storm that has officially been marked a category 5 — the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Burns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burns. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share