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

And the Diderot-Baudelaire-Fried tree abides even as the forest burns mutely round it, match lit by Elon Musk and company. — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Besides losing parts of her fingers on her left hand, the child suffered a cut to her right hand and burns to her left hand and left arm, prosecutors said. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026

People with more muscle mass generally require more energy because muscle burns more calories than fat. — Jillian Kubala, HEALTH, 12 Aug. 2026

Unlike SpaceX's current workhorse launcher Falcon 9, which burns a form of the aviation fuel kerosene, Starship combusts the much cleaner combination of methane and liquid oxygen. — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Now, even the power plant next to the mines burns natural gas instead of coal. — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026

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

Noun

Authorities have not released where the two people were found, the extent of their burns or their current conditions. — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

The 61-year-old man who was nearly sucked out of the plane suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns. — Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

Barker and Goldstein suffered severe burns Barker and Goldstein were spotted a few feet from the wreckage by local resident William Owens, who had been driving near the airport. — Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026

Goldstein, meanwhile, had severe scalp burns and was airlifted to the hospital. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026

Family says teenager suffered burns after showering Combs and Bivens also discussed a Trinidad family that said its 16-year-old daughter developed a serious skin reaction after showering. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Fires are often started illegally by plantation owners or traditional farmers to clear land for planting and those burns periodically blanket parts of Southeast Asia in hazardous haze, authorities said. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

Some products on the market contain up to 12% hydrogen peroxide — those must be diluted to avoid irritation or chemical burns. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 11 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