Synonyms of burns

burns 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of burn

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

• glows
• flames
• blazes
• fires
• combusts
• flickers
• gleams
• shines
• smolders
• ignites
• goes up in flames
• melts
• scorches
• kindles
• cooks
• bakes
• sparks
• wavers
• roasts
• sputters
• lights (up)
• enkindles
• brightens
• flashes
• flares (up)
• catches
• radiates
• beams
• sparkles
• chars
• deflagrates
• glistens
• beats (down)
• glints
• glares
• shimmers
• broils
• swelters
• glitters
• glimmers
• twinkles
• gutters
• scintillates

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

• scorches
• ignites
• fires
• lights
• torches
• kindles
• inflames
• enkindles
• illumines
• bakes
• illuminates
• immolates
• cooks
• incinerates
• ashes
• broils
• sets off
• brightens
• lightens
• chars
• scalds
• stokes
• relights
• deflagrates
• radiates
• rekindles
• irradiates
• sears
• kilns
• cremates
• reignites
• frizzles
• banks
• scathes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extinguishes
• quenches
• puts out
• chokes
• smothers
• suffocates
• stamps (out)
• douses
• snuffs (out)
• obscures
• darkens
• dims
• blackens
• dulls

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

• steams
• rages
• boils
• fumes
• storms
• shakes
• foams
• seethes
• rankles
• sizzles
• smolders
• sees red
• agitates
• inflames
• rants
• raves
• fulminates
• bristles
• flares (up)
• chafes
• convulses
• frets
• roils
• stews

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

• glows
• flames
• glares
• blazes
• gleams
• flares
• flashes
• beats
• glances
• radiates
• sparkles
• beams
• glistens
• glints
• shimmers
• glitters
• twinkles
• glimmers
• dazzles
• blinds
• scintillates
• glisters
• dazes
• bedazzles

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

• deceives
• tricks
• fools
• stings
• kids
• teases
• misleads
• juggles
• deludes
• snows
• misguides
• catches
• misinforms
• sucks in
• beguiles
• suckers
• strings along
• hoodwinks
• has on
• has
• bamboozles
• spoofs
• cheats
• dupes
• takes in
• bluffs
• hoaxes
• humbugs
• cozens
• does a number on
• gaffs
• gulls
• fakes out
• cons
• buffaloes
• hornswoggles
• gammons
• sticks
• bleeds
• snookers
• pulls one's leg
• pulls the wool over one's eyes
• leads one down the garden path
• puts on
• defrauds
• shortchanges
• squeezes
• hustles
• diddles
• swindles
• flimflams
• chisels
• mulcts
• skins
• fleeces
• rooks
• euchres

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reveals
• exposes
• uncovers
• shows up
• unmasks
• tells
• discloses
• debunks
• undeceives
• divulges
• unveils
• uncloaks
• disillusions
• disenchants
• disabuses

6

as in consumes

to make complete use of

heedlessly burning the country's resources without any concern for future generations

Synonyms & Similar Words

• consumes
• spends
• drains
• exhausts
• absorbs
• reduces
• eats
• uses
• depletes
• devours
• expends
• runs out of
• decreases
• plays out
• draws down
• empties
• wastes
• uses up
• diminishes
• lowers
• downsizes
• weakens
• blows
• dwindles
• lessens
• undermines
• cleans (out)
• bankrupts
• debilitates
• saps
• impoverishes
• cripples
• abates
• disables
• enfeebles
• dissipates
• de-escalates
• dries up
• guzzles
• runs through
• squanders
• lavishes
• throws away
• misspends
• fritters (away)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increases
• replaces
• renews
• augments
• repairs
• enlarges
• reinforces
• enforces
• strengthens
• restores
• saves
• preserves
• revives
• conserves
• bolsters
• rebuilds
• fortifies

burns

2 of 2

noun

plural of burn, British

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

• brooks
• creeks
• runs
• streams
• rills
• rivulets
• runnels
• streamlets
• tributaries
• becks
• brooklets
• canals
• washes
• bayous
• bourns
• gills
• freshets
• kills
• runlets
• sloughs
• runoffs
• arroyos
• cuts
• freshes
• races
• coulees
• waterways
• cutoffs
• watercourses
• channels
• guts
• billabongs
• branches
• distributaries
• affluents
• influents
• millstreams
• millraces
• confluents

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of burns

Verb

Part of the process included increasing the duration of the satellite’s thruster burns to get ready for the multi-hour firings needed while grappling the observatory. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026

Around one in 7,000 people carries a broken copy of this gene that almost acts like a GLP-1 drug—the body burns fuel more efficiently, and the risk of disease lowers. — Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 2026

Fire season across Northern California is shifting into another gear as the Gann Fire burns 35 miles east of Stockton and smoke from wildfires in Oregon and Washington will continues to drift into the region. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 5 Aug. 2026

The Mediterranean sun, at its apex, burns as white as the signature paint that coats most Mykonian homes. — Nick Remsen, Vogue, 1 Aug. 2026

That burns tokens, slows response times and increases the chances that the model will miss or misread something important. — Bruce Kelley, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Spain this year has already suffered 22 major forest fires, which is defined as a fire that burns over 500 hectares (1,235 acres). — ABC News, 22 July 2026

Feeling like your effort doesn't matter is exactly the kind of thing that burns good people out. — Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 20 July 2026

Current research does not show that heated Pilates burns more calories or provides greater long-term health benefits than regular Pilates. — Mellanie Perez, Health, 20 July 2026

Noun

At least 11 people were injured, the coalition said on X, including a 4-year-old child faced with second-degree burns. — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026

Besides clearing pollutants from the air, aloe vera plants can also soothe burns and sunburn thanks to thick sap in their spiky leaves. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2026

In December 2021, a 15-year-old girl suffered second- and third-degree burns over 22% of her body when the flames jetted across the kitchen island from a tabletop fire pit smores maker. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

That includes a complaint in September 2021, when hospital workers examining the girl after a minor car crash found bruising on her inner thighs and apparent cigarette burns elsewhere on her body. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026

Donations are used in a number of ways, including the treatment of burns, shock, and trauma; cancer treatments, and the development of medications. — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 4 Aug. 2026

The middle schooler suffered burns on 50 percent of his body, said Makayla Brown, the family friend who created a GoFundMe account for the Higgins’ family that has raised more than $67,000. — Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 4 Aug. 2026

The result is far less protection than the SPF number promises, and a steady rise in the risk of burns, premature aging and skin cancer. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026

The launch set up Puma for a series of burns to move in close to True Anomaly’s satellite. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 30 July 2026