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

The friction causes an electrical shock that burns Clancy, and Lisa steals his keys. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026

The Aspen Acres Fire burns behind homes on July 3, 2026, in Rye, Colorado. — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Played by Jesse Eisenberg, Zuckerberg is dramatized as a conceited, socially awkward college student who repeatedly burns allies in pursuit of power. — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Food and drink Flagship restaurant at Round Hill (also designed by Ralph Lauren) serves up fresh Caribbean food that burns clean with ingredients from the onsite organic gardens. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

California no longer burns or buys electricity generated by coal. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

From there, Watkins takes Stacey into stranger territory, turning her personal crisis into a commentary on climate change and how people continue to carry on as the world burns. — Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026

One burns the only copy of her sister’s precious handwritten manuscript; at least two others set houses on fire, one while her unsuspecting parents are still asleep inside. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026

Saha suffered 60% burns all over her body and remains in critical condition at a hospital, according to The Telegraph India and The Hindu. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026

Noun

Issues documented included chemical burns and hydraulic fluid that leaked from a ride into someone’s eye, dislocated joints, concussions and broken bones. — Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026

Pyrad works by instantaneously thickening when exposed to fire, forming a char that diminishes heat exposure, extinguishes flames, and decreases the risk of third-degree burns. — Derek Rose, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

According to initial medical assessments, one person sustained scalp burns, another suffered from mild smoke inhalation, while the three others appeared unharmed, the Department for Emergency Situations said. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

This study also found a higher incidence of fibroids in women who used relaxers more frequently and reported more scalp burns. — Ata-Owaji Victor, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026

The walls were yellowed, the toilet seat broken, the sheets full of cigarette burns. — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Rucker says crews arrived to find flames inside the building, but racks inside were impeding their movement and eventually blocked their exits, leading two firefighters to suffer burns. — Ashley Grams, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026

Footage broadcast on Saudi state media after the Saturday attack showed some of the injured in the hospital with severe burns and bandaged arms. — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026

White Lake Fire Chief Dale Brennan told WECT that at least one Marine suffered burns and was rushed to a nearby clinic. — Louis Casiano , Jennifer Griffin, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026